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.

Yeah maybe the parents should leave all the kids at home playing computer games? 🙄

Parkrun takes like an hour max? Can't you go there after it's finished? Or go somewhere else?

Yes your parents clearly went too far but if I didn’t persuade my kids to do stuff, we would just be home all the time.

My DS complains EVERY week about an activity we do. “I want to stay home etc etc”

Yesterday I said “you’ll be pleased to hear we are not doing X” and he got upset!! Kids. So I could easily have given up but actually he enjoys it despite complaining.

Why is coco pops and cartoons the only alternative? Why not swimming, or playing in a playground? Surely forcing your child to take part in a form of exercise they don't like is guaranteed to put them off exercise?

Just because one or two parents might be harsh with their children and force them to carry on when they're in pain (absolutely don't believe for one second this is the majority), doesn't mean it's bad.

One of the best thing parents can do for their children is to make physical activity a 'normal' part of life and routine. Sure, there are other children focused activities available, but running with their parents on a Sunday morning is great- the routine, the running itself, physical activity as a family.

My eldest would hate it but there are some children in her year who do it who bloody love it. Those are the ones who are picked for district athletics and are generally doing really well at sport. You might have just got an unusual crowd.

My kids hate all sorts of things. They hate it when I try to feed them vegetables, they hate it when I turn off the xbox or tv and insist they do homework. They hate it when I say things like "It's -2 degrees and we are going for a walk on the moor, I don't think hot pants and a crop top are appropriate" or "can you put your plate in the dishwasher". Honestly, you really can't judge someone's parenting based on one interaction. Some kids need encouragement to help with resilience, some don't. Of course some parents are competitive dicks who put themselves first but I think it's a bit sweeping to apply that to all parents doing park run. Have you ever watched a PE lesson in a secondary school? It's a healthy outdoor activity, not in front of a screen. They might get a nice treat after. Just go for your walk an hour later and then you won't be bothered.

My son regularly runs in our local junior parkrun. I don't take part, I just watch and I'm always amazed by how many people deliberately walk in front of them/cause an obstruction, simply to make the point that the runners don't have the right of way. OP, you remind me of them.

@Knowillbeflamed never met a toddler yet who needs to exercise!! I am with you OP. think its more so the parents can say to friends that the whole family went. they would not mention that the kids gristled the whole way round!

Ahh right. Thanks.

You sound way to invested, do you exercise

She also does activities she enjoys but we do park run with her two siblings and whilst she often complains when going around she is usually very proud of herself afterwards.

Its not just about the exercise itself though, it's ensuring they grow up understanding physical activity is part of a balanced life and builds decent habits. If some parents take them because they wouldn't be able to otherwise go themselves and enjoy it (ie single parents) then does it really matter anyway?

There's a post on our local Facebook page earlier today reminding park runners that other people are actually allowed to use the public footpaths that the route is on without impediment or abuse.
Park runners seem to be becoming as entitled as cyclists these days.

Why ask for opinions if you just disagree with the ones that don’t support your view?

Park run is amazing, as is junior park run that you refer to. It’s free and many people give up their own time to support it and facilitate it for others. I’ve actually heard of GPs prescribing park run to people. Teaching kids healthy habits is a good thing, sure it’s not great if a minority of those kids don’t enjoy it at first but you’ve made no mention of those that did? I’m sure your kids love everything you take them too, including all the usual things that kids hate. Well done on achieving that.

Really? Why are so many very young children obese, then?

Also worth repeating that nobody has to run at parkrun, 5k or juniors, if they don't want to. Perfectly acceptable to walk instead, and that's what I see lots of families doing. Another very good habit to acquire young.

Parkrunners can be annoying and take over spaces at times, I'm afraid.

It’s an inclusive, free organised event which creates connections in the community and promotes healthy living. There is no need to be such a grinch about the event!

Having said that, this is junior parkrun and the minimum age is 4 so there shouldn’t be any toddlers running. You’d be right to query that with the organisers and they can put something on the facebook page.

Local to me, Park runs take place in parks, which are all large enough for park run. But when I visit my home town, they take up the entire prom along the beach. No sticking to one side, they spread out across it, and woe betide you're disabled, or with someone disabled. The shouts of "out my way" or "move over" from them when I was with my mother who was using a walker summed this up. There is space, easily, for 10 people to walk side by side along the prom, but they like to spread out rather than run behind one another.

I don't understand the even split of YABU and YANBU here. Making kids run because the parent is having a midlife crisis about exercise? No that's not normal. Kids have human rights too. Stop forcing young kids to run around. Junior parkrun? Never heard of it. Yes kids should be encouraged to do activity, but with something they enjoy, not just running on the hard pavement with a much faster person (parent).

You could just have the title park runs why?

They are an odd thing imo. They come here all park on the no parking road blocking traffic and take over the park.
Seems to attract the self absorbed.

There are no screaming toddlers at my parkrun. There are lots of happy children though, my own included, who are primary aged and love it! They will pester me to go on the Saturdays where I can't be bothered to get up in time! You've said yourself that you don't understand running. Maybe just avoid the area during that short period of time.

My kids hate anything that is good for them when they are doing it. They cheer up afterwards though when the sense of achievement kicks in. I’m hoping eventually they’ll get it.

These are the good parents, the ones that don’t try to be their kids’ mate, the ones that feed healthy food, set an example and don’t cave in and let their kids watch you tube all day. You should be applauding them as it’s likely their kids that will be running the country in 30 years time when we are all in our dotage.

Can you not just avoid it in the meantime?

@Knowillbeflamed are you close to Blackpool? Sounds like the one I know a lot around here take the kids to. It’s mostly for social media the parents take them imo

Just to be clear, they weren’t pushy parents any more than the behaviour being described on this thread. They would encourage me to do stuff and be excited / support school when they chose me to run or play sport in competitions. If I said I didn’t want to do something I’d be encouraged because I’d ’like it in the end’ / ‘it’s good for you’ / ‘what a honour’ type of messaging. So I gave up telling them that I didn’t like it because no one listened and people generally don’t understand that not everyone is competitive but as soon as I had any personal control over it, I walked in the opposite direction, same as lots of people.

Of course kids sometimes moan about doing stuff and we encourage them but if someone is taking their kids to park run weekly and that kid is crying / saying ‘I’m not enjoying this’ on a regular basis, ignoring that is not building resilience, it’s building an aversion to exercise.

this is true

however there are far far more considerate park runners than idiots and IMO the benefits to people and society as a whole (parkrun is an amazing community) that the positives far outweigh the negatives, IMOn