It is 7 a.m., the lanes, bylanes and roads in residential areas are busy. School buses, vans and autorickshaws are busy picking up children for school. In addition to these modes of transport are the two- and four-wheelers and the public transport buses. This is a regular sight in many cities.
The day breaks early for schoolchildren. The roads are filled with various modes of transport, with every passing minute precious and a slight delay leading to confusion and traffic jams.
There is a famous saying, “Children walk to school, but run back home.” This saying perhaps would not be relevant in today’s times.
During our childhood days, we would walk to school and back. Slightly older boys would use a bicycle. Walking was inculcated very early in lives, a practice and exercise that held us in better shape not just in the initial years but also laid a strong foundation for the rest of our lives. Today’s children barely walk, as they are picked up and dropped. The muscle and bone strength develop from the formative years. If that is deprived or ignored, it causes more harm.
The immunity levels in today’s children are poor, as they are not exposed to proper sunlight and allowed to breathe fresh air. Exposure to sunlight is limited as children are in the classrooms early. Inhaling fresh air in the mornings is a must as heavy vehicular pollution fills the atmosphere later.
The pleasure and practice of walking is almost non-existent. The foundation if on shaky grounds would have its impact in the later years. Food intake by schoolchildren these days are a serious area of concern. The little tiffin boxes they carry filled with bread toast, biscuits and snacks would help them satiate their hunger, but regular consumption of these may take its toll later.
Sadly, the focus on schoolchildren, be it by teachers in schools or parents at home, is always on the scoring of marks and grades, missing a vital link in the physical well being. Physical activity boosts appetite and ensures sound sleep for better preparedness the following day.
Children these days are deprived of the luxury we had in our days. School followed by tuitions and special classes for enhanced and improved performance consumes their time, leaving them with no time for any outdoor activity. In the pursuit of academic excellence, the vital links that are necessary are found grossly missing. The little leisure time is spent on the mobile phones. Summer holidays are mostly spent on planning for the next grades.
Where are we leading our children to?
Pushing them hard, breaking their back, the innocent faces replaced with worries, concern writ on the faces all at a stage when lives are supposedly to be free and devoid of tensions. There is no point in telling that children are precious to the family, unless there are ways to understand the woes of children, specially when they need direction and guidance at a stage when they depend on elders. The calm morning hours, the gentle cool breeze they bring should be enjoyed, for as the day peaks, the atmosphere gets highly polluted.
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