I was reading this article on personal trainers for kids and was getting all into it, thinking about kids and exercise balls and buff trainers and fitness and all that good stuff, thinking wow, how cool is that? Personal trainers for kids. Who knew?
And then it hit me.
Um...hello? Whatever happened to PLAY?
Didn't kids used to play? And, like, run around, like ALL DAY?
So WTF do they need a personal trainer for? Unless they're going to be an ath-a-leet or something. In which case, yeah, bring it! Although if you want to pay me $50 an hour to make your kid run around, I will take it gladly.
But, um, what if some kids have forgotten how to play? Are there kids like that? Kids so used to plonking down in front of the TV or the video games that they have abandoned their natural inclinations and don't remember how to use their bodies to move and express themselves through the sheer joy of running around like maniacs (which any toddler knows). I think that's possible. And very sad.
So, sure, those kids would likely be helped by a personal trainer who could teach them how to use their bodies again. Even better would be if the parents of those kids got involved. [sigh]
Sometimes I think that throwing our kids out the door to play is the best.thing.ever. I just wish more kids had an actual place to play. Too many families live where there just isn't anywhere; parents feel unsafe about their kids being outside, and who wants to drive 4 blocks (or walk, shudder!) and sit around watching their kid play at a park, or rec center (and many parents simply lack the time)?
It's a sad commentary on our society and the fact that exercise is now a luxury for so many people that so many kids really do need help in re-learning a simple and natural thing like exercise.
