We will give our kids so many gifts over their lives that we cannot count or keep track of all of them. I would hesitate to say that you could not remember all of the gifts you gave them in the last three months or all of the gifts you gave them last Christmas or their last birthday. The majority of those gifts will be gone in a few months and very few will last more than one year. They will outgrow them or break them or just plain forget about them. So why not give them something they can have and use for the rest of their lives? I am talking about the gift of fitness!
When we decide to make fitness a priority in our family and for our kids we are making a change that will last for their entire life. Within weeks of making a commitment to fitness you can see a difference. Kids will learn skills that they did not have before and they will gain confidence knowing that they can achieve anything. But the benefits continue to grow. Within months they will be healthier. You may see a difference in their bodies. There may be a sense of pride in their accomplishments and what they can do. As time goes by and you continue to make fitness a priority they may do better in school. They may become more of a leader than you had seen in the past. They may be on a trajectory that changes their entire school age experience.
If you can continue to make fitness paramount in your child’s life you will see that it benefits them as adults. Your child will develop habits in life that they continue as they leave the house and become adults. The child who learns that movement and activity is important when they are young will continue to have those feelings as an adult. When they are given the chance to test and experiment with different types of exercise they will find things to continue as adults. The activities they do as adults will help them with their health and also provide joy to their lives.
When you make fitness a priority in the life of your child and allow them to find what they enjoy then that will carry over into their adulthood. They will find fulfillment in activity as a child and then continue that as an adult. So many times I see kids who did not get exposure to all of the different types of activities and movement that this world provides and they do not find what brings them joy. As a parent, make a decision this year to find the activity or activities that best suits your child. Be open minded. The activity may be found in team sports, individual sports or activities, group activities or family activities. Your child may find joy in several of these situations.
In the end you have to make an effort to find what gives your child joy. Don’t be deceived by your child’s responses, all kids can find joy and happiness in activity. Your job as a parent is to find which activity. It may take time, effort, and money, but in the end it is well worth it. How many other gifts can you give your child that will last into their adult years? How many other gifts can you give your child that will improve their health? The toy that you buy them next may not be important to them in a month but the gift of fitness will last a lifetime!
