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Running before you can walk — 3 Comments

  1. Well said. Out onto the streets with them kids. Now that they are back to school it is time for those with initiative [what is that? some of them might say] to start planning seasonal orchard raids – the apples will be ripening soon, a little behind schedule because of the diminished summer sunshine. It is time for the bright sparks to go searching for chestnuts – they can climb up some branches, and they can make catapults from the elastic of discarded underwear to practise their targeting skills and shoot the biggest conkers off the top branches of the relevant trees. They can use the catapults imaginatively for other purposes in built-up areas – just don't get caught by the Gardai. If parents and teachers want to get real in discouraging child obesity they should close their ears to doctors and nutritionists and let growing kids have free rein on the streets, the hedges, the woodlands and riverbanks. Obesity is mainly caused by restricted lifestyle.

    • My first brush with The Law [the first of many!] was from an escapade to raid the best conker tree in the neighbourhood.  The only time I was allowed indoors was when it was pissing buckets out of the sky.  "Get out there, and don't come back 'til tea time!"

      Obesity is mainly caused by restricted lifestyle, which is restricted because of the groundless fears instilled by the Nanny State constantly warning of imminent kidnaps, rapes and the horrific dangers of the unprotected outdoors.  The Nannies only have themselves to blame.

    • Hear bloody hear, Ger!

      Christ, kids today haven't got a clue. Wasn't it only a few years ago that some council in UK cut down some conker trees so the cheeldren™ wouldn't come to any harm from that dangerous pursuit of conker playing? Blimey, some of the poor dears might have got a bit of conker shrapnel in the face, particularly if their opponent had indulged in some skulduggery, like soaking his prize conker in vinegar to toughen it up.

      I feel sorry for kids today. And I worry, too. How on earth are they going to develop any life skills if they don't get out there and suffer cuts and bruises in pursuit of some prize conker on a top branch or whatever? It should be mandatory that every kid should break a bone doing something stupid. How the hell else are they going to learn?

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