Childhood obesity and homework time

We all had chores when we were little. We wash the dishes, fold the clothes, put them away and help with the housework. As we grew, we added helping with yard work. It didn’t occur to us that we were exercising but, in fact, we did. It was simply more productive.

calories burned: A good calorie counter, like the one at caloriesperhour.com, will help show how many calories a person has burned and consumed. This is an easy way to gauge if your child (or anyone else) is doing enough physically to get or stay in shape. Trust me, yard work can add up to a nice total.

Life skills taught: Over time, our children will grow up and have their own home and their own responsibilities. Learning to cook, clean, and garden will prepare them for that moment. You can also show them career ideas. Gardening was one of the factors that led me to become a Master Herbalist.

Relieve parental pressure: It’s hard to work all day and then have to do all the tasks that add up. It’s hard enough for working parents to prepare a healthy meal, take care of homework, and get the kids to bed on time. Enlisting the help of children can relieve some of that pressure. The children will feel the relief.

bonding: As much as I hate doing the dishes, there were times when we were kids that allowed a kind of bond to take place. When dad helped with them, we could talk. It was a one-on-one time; believe me, the rest of the children would not dream of going to the kitchen when there are dishes to wash for a table of seven people.

It may seem like we should be keeping our kids from doing all the chores we had as kids, but we wouldn’t be doing them any favors. They won’t learn what they’re supposed to do, they’ll miss out on the special moments that can happen with shared tasks, and they can take it for granted that someone else will always be doing the dirty work.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *