Park Runs: Children - Why?

[Knowillbeflamed]

There’s a park run every Sunday near me. They jog along the pavement by the seafront taking the whole damn thing up so no one else can even walk along it.

Honestly, I don’t get running. But, what I understand even less is dragging young children along?! Yes, the older one’s (10+) seem to enjoy it but there’s at least 5x more that seem wayyyy to young - toddlers, very young kids - who hate it. They’re dragged along by their parents, literally kicking and screaming and crying.

AIBU to think if your kid hates running that much or patently doesn’t want to be there, that you do NOT force it on them?! Just because you like running doesn’t mean you force it on them. Find them an activity they enjoy.

PS. Yes I am annoyed by the sheer ignorance of 100+ people taking up that much space and forcing others to dive out the way - but mostly it’s the shrill screams of toddlers being forced to run that drives me bonkers. Someone will pop up and say ‘they love it,’ but I’m sorry - kids screaming ‘it hurts’ ‘I don’t want to’ whilst their parents drag them along by their wrist just angers me. And it’s not one parent one week - it’s multiple different parents on various weeks.

Nobody is saying encouraging children to exercise isn’t good. What some of us are saying is forcing them to do exercise they hate us actually discouraging exercise in the longer term.

What an overreaction. Just walk somewhere else. Parents aren’t dragging their screaming toddlers across parkrun how ridiculous. I’ve never seen that. You probably saw one child maybe not happy. You dont get running, well don’t go walking next to park run then?

the things people get annoyed about is wild. Find something more important to get annoyed about.

Gosh, you're a charmer.

I am a parkrunner, so admittedly biased - but my local one attracts all ages, all levels of ability and disability, and has helped me and my child became healthier and stronger, as well as making new friends. I think it's a fantastic community event.

I can imagine inconsiderate parkers are irritating, but a bit much to write off a net global good just for that.

A great way to encourage her to avoid exercise when she is older.

I moan and bitch all the way round parkrun too. I have to do it inside my head but if I thought anyone would listen or it would annoy a misery guts like the op I’d do it out loud. I hate it. The only bit I like is stopping. But I do it because I’m trying to get / keep fit.

I also notice that there are a number of posters on here who marshal and are describing specific behaviours of parents forcing kids who are clearly hating every minute as opposed to the posters who are conflating that with kids having a temporary whine and gently cajoling them. The two are different things and its easily possible to tell the difference, so it’s not a case of people making assumptions based on a snapshot in time.
It's easy to see the difference if you are there regularly and see the same kids and parents week in week out, yes, in which case you should do something, not moan about it on Mumsnet. But it's much harder for a casual observer to make that differentiation. They can still draw it to the attention of the volunteers though - every organisation that runs events for children should have a Safeguarding policy and a pathway to follow if concerns are raised.

Nearest coastline is over an hour from me. Trying to imagine how my kids would have reacted to being woken up on a Sunday to be taken for a bracing January swim and beach combing session. 🤣
That is one of the most peak MN responses to kids whining a bit about junior parkrun.

None of the activities you have mentioned are low cost. Junior Parkrun is one of the very few no cost activities available to all.

I suspect the latter. We had a whole thread on here recently about how unreasonable it was for parkrunners to use the park for 45 minutes a week.

You do get the odd parent who's overcompetitive but most parents are really good with their kids and junior parkrun is a completely different kettle of fish to a 5k parkrun on a Saturday.

I agree - if a child really dislikes it, it's pointless. If she just moans a bit halfway round but is pleased once she's done it, that's different.

So anything that costs money and requires equipment is ok, but anything that is free should be discouraged? How is that helpful to young children or their parents?

Mumsnet snobbery over sport continues...

This

It’s not but it’s one of them, anyway I am not getting any runs in because I can’t even walk never mind run.

Oh don't be ridiculous.

How is it helpful to force a child to do a sport they do not enjoy - to the point the child is crying? It's not. It's pretty simple...

Ah yes, because no child has ever moaned on a long family walk.

Very impressed by the number of posters who have never been forced by their parents / forced their children to do things they don't want too.

I personally spent a good chunk of my childhood stuck in garden centres, watching my DB play football, trudging through fields on family stomps, etc etc. It is absolutely fine for kids to need to fit in with their parents sometimes.

More of a reach than S Club 7.

Junior Park Run can be great, but actually I’ve stopped taking my daughter because of the sheer number of parents who “support” their children around our local one. They’re effectively dragging their children and getting in the way of children capable of running alone.

She just runs 2k around a different park now, in peace and safe from being knocked over and trampled by an adult.

You seriously think children should not be required to do anything they don't want to do? Good luck getting them to brush their teeth or eat spinach for the pure pleasure of it. And children cry all the time, it's their job description!

It is perfectly ok to run with your kid round a park run

Of course children should have to do things they don't want to do - Gods, if I thought they should do whatever they wanted, mine would never go to school or eat anything other than Bon Maman Shortbread.

But there is a BIG difference between a child not wanting to do something, and a child being dragged around by their parent - particularly, as it was today, to the point where several children were crying and asking their parents to stop.

You are being deliberately obtuse...I hope.

I wouldn't force any child to eat something they didn't like.

I'm in the, "Don't get running" camp. It's just... putting one foot in front of the other, but a bit faster than usual. I don't get why grown adults get excited over how fast they can move their feet.

Judging by this and many other replies, its little wonder children and adults in the UK do so little sport.

Forcing a child to run 1.2miles is bloody stupid, you re pretty much baking in a hatred of sport for a life time.
Over coming some objections by encouragement/bribery is not the same as the child crying and getting distressed.

Comparing it to dental care and eating veg is equally stupid too.

Except as I have said in this thread multiple times now, my middle child also used to complain and have to be cajoled around and now loves it and asks to go to the Saturday park run too!
I whined and complained my way through many family hikes and runs as a child and am eternally grateful that my parents persisted in taking me as I now love running and hiking! I've never been overweight and have always been reasonably fit.