Raising healthy kids has always been hard and it seems it’s gotten harder with each passing generation. Sure, we have better immunization than we did 70 years ago, but we also have more toxins in the environment and more things in general that can be unsafe for little ones.
And, no matter how hard we as parents try to instill health-consciousness, when we send them out into the world, our words compete against a slew of unhealthy temptations. This is especially true for those of us raising kids in a big city like NYC. As wonderful and amazing as this city is – heck, it’s truly the greatest city on the planet – it can be challenging raising healthy kids here.
Hence the age-old debate about where is better to raise your kids – NYC or the suburbs. …show more content…
With all of this safe, outdoor space, it’s easy for kids to stay physically fit and active.
City parents don’t have this luxury, and so we have to work harder at getting our kids to be physically active. Telling them to run around in the stairways and hallways of our apartment building will NOT be appreciated by our neighbors.
What we CAN do is get out and be active with our kids. One of the great things about NYC is there are so many wonderful public parks to take our kids and play with them. And not sit on a bench and watch them play with other kids, but actually play WITH them. Toss a ball around, kick a soccer ball, chase them, play Frisbee. Not only are we getting them to move but we are setting an example by moving with them.
Limit Their Screen Time
It seems our kids would rather spend more time in front of the TV or their computer playing video games than just about anything else. And while this is fine for about 30 – 45 minutes a day, it can be very unhealthy for longer
And, no matter how hard we as parents try to instill health-consciousness, when we send them out into the world, our words compete against a slew of unhealthy temptations. This is especially true for those of us raising kids in a big city like NYC. As wonderful and amazing as this city is – heck, it’s truly the greatest city on the planet – it can be challenging raising healthy kids here.
Hence the age-old debate about where is better to raise your kids – NYC or the suburbs. …show more content…
With all of this safe, outdoor space, it’s easy for kids to stay physically fit and active.
City parents don’t have this luxury, and so we have to work harder at getting our kids to be physically active. Telling them to run around in the stairways and hallways of our apartment building will NOT be appreciated by our neighbors.
What we CAN do is get out and be active with our kids. One of the great things about NYC is there are so many wonderful public parks to take our kids and play with them. And not sit on a bench and watch them play with other kids, but actually play WITH them. Toss a ball around, kick a soccer ball, chase them, play Frisbee. Not only are we getting them to move but we are setting an example by moving with them.
Limit Their Screen Time
It seems our kids would rather spend more time in front of the TV or their computer playing video games than just about anything else. And while this is fine for about 30 – 45 minutes a day, it can be very unhealthy for longer