THE EXTRA MILE: Stop it! Quit yelling, start cheering your children across the line
By Kym Klass
June 6, 2010
Several weeks ago, I wrote about kids and exercise-- about pushing them too hard when they aren't ready. Since that time, I have received e-mails from readers/runners/parents who have witnessed
parents yelling at their children at local running races.
So I thought that perhaps I didn't make the point clear enough: quit pushing your children! There's yelling encouraging words -- you can never get enough of that -- and then there's mean-spirited
belittling yelling if you don't think your child is running fast enough or that he or she will not win their age group.
I'd like to think one of the most important things we teach our children at these races is sportsmanship, a sense of camaraderie within the running community and a desire to continue exercising.
Children need to learn what it is like to win -- and lose. And they need to know their parents support them no matter what. That a 6-year-old running a 9-minute mile is just as impressive as the 4-year-
old boy who crosses the finish line at a mile race in 16 minutes.
My daughter tends to be a fixture by my side at local races, and has run in her share of fun runs -- those mile races typically filled with children pre-teen and
younger. She placed second in her age group at the recent Pancake Run for the Missions, and knocked off 30 seconds from her last mile race.
And she stopped to walk twice at the Pancake run.
And I stopped with her, taking her hand when she asked. We would count down from five, or 10, and continue on. It gave her the time to catch her breath.
If it wasn't enough time, she would let me know and we'd count down again.
I can't tell you how proud she was to have that silver medal placed around her neck. I would have been just as proud if she finished last. One thing I wouldn't dare do is yell at her for
stopping, for not running "fast enough." What's "fast enough" for a 6-year-old? Seriously. For those who yell, you have no idea how angry you make those
around you. How bad it makes you look. Most importantly, how frustrating it is for your child.
Let me share with you what is so amazing about your children in these local races:
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They wake up at ungodly hours to run a race on a Saturday when they would rather be playing with their friends, with their Wii, or their Nintendo DSi game.
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They'd rather be sleeping.
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They likely have already waited for you to finish your 10K or 5K race. Bored. Sitting and waiting. And waiting. And they'll likely spend half of their energy just cheering you across the finish line. It's what kids do.
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They are exercising. Alabama is ranked sixth in the nation -- at 36.1 percent -- for overweight youths ages 10 to 17. Your child -- the one toeing the starting line in too-long
cotton shirts and big smiles -- is beating that statistic. -
They are running a mile, or more. Most kids don't train for it. Some do, but most just hop out of bed and start running. Not many adults have the guts to do that.Races are fun for them. They get a ribbon or
medal at the end of their race.
Who doesn't want to run for that? Sometimes, that's all that gets them to the starting line. Sometimes, that is all the determination they need to reach the
finish line.I've never met you personally --those who yell at their children. I've seen you, and I've heard it from others. And it disgusts me as a member of the running community to
witness that taking place. This touches a nerve with me, and I know that just writing about it might not change anything. All I ask is that the next time you think of yelling at
your child at races, stop yourself. Look at your child's face -- look at what they are accomplishing. And just stop. Act their age, and cheer them across the finish line instead.
Kym Klass is an avid runner, a metro reporter for the Montgomery Advertiser, and R3 member. Follow her workouts at www.runkymklass.blogspot.com and twitter.
com/kymklass.
