Here’s another reason our kids are little fatties: the daily
ride to school in the mini-van. Only about 15 percent of all kids walk to
school these days, whereas 40 years ago, back when "obesity" wasn't a word and fat kids
were “husky,” half of all kids either rode their bikes or hoofed it to class.
The
group behind Walk to School Day hopes that on Oct. 3 all school-age children will step down
from the swiveling captains chairs, step up to the sidewalk and go. Leaders of the group want communities to demand safer
streets for walkers and more bike paths. And they want parents to know walking
to school is not such a bad thing.
Agreed! Plan to join in? We won’t.
I drive my daughter to school everyday not because we’re
lazy, not because she couldn’t handle traffic, not because I’m scared of bus
safety. I drive because she doesn’t attend her crappy neighborhood school. She
goes to one we like better downtown.
While the school walking group has great intentions – and I
hope many people take advantage of it – I think a huge reason not dealt with in
this New York Times article about walking to school is the inconsistent quality of the neighborhood schools for many cities. My
guess is we’re not the only family giving up walking for better school options
that happen to be far away.
What’s your reason for driving your kid to school? You
can admit it if it’s just easier to drive. Or do you walk? How long does it
take? Do you feel like the exercise makes your kid a more focused student,
especially in the morning, as the experts in this article claim?
