Chauffeur parents drive children to laziness by not letting them walk to school
Do your kids ever walk or ride to school? Alarming new research shows anxious chauffeur parents and hectic family schedules are denying children the chance to develop vital skills by preventing the daily walk.
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Six out of 10 Australian schoolchildren almost never walk to school despite their chauffeur parents knowing driving is far less healthy.
Research by the Royal Children’s Hospital found time-poor parents resort to driving to cope with work pressures and family schedules, but concerns about strangers, bullies and traffic are the main reasons why they won’t let them travel without an adult.
Safety fears also drive one in five parents to track teenagers via smartphones when they do travel on their own. RCH National Child Health Poll director Anthea Rhodes said anxious adults may be denying children the chance to build vital life skills.
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“It has benefits for children around things like their navigation skills, their understanding of things like distance and time,” Dr Rhodes said.
“It’s also good for their mental health and gives kids a chance to prepare for the day or unwind at the other end of the day, as well as time to connect with their parents.”
In the poll of 1745 parents, 71 per cent said their children did not walk or ride to school at all in a typical week, while 58 per cent of children almost never walked. Dr Rhodes said the benefits were more than just the physical activity.
Where peak hour traffic, finding parking and keeping a family schedule make for stressful interactions, she said a relaxed walk produced positive connections and taught skills to overcome the very dangers that make parents anxious.
“One of the ways to prepare a child really well for being ready to travel independently is to spend time travelling with them walking, riding or taking public transport so they can build the skills to know their way and problem solve what they would do if they encounter a stranger or situation they are uncomfortable with, so they can deal with it,” she said.
Each morning Jo Coleman supervises her children Jennah, 8 and Alyssa, 7, and their friends as they walk 700m through Essendon.
“It is not just about walking and being healthy, it gives them a sense of responsibility and confidence,” she said.
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