Once, I sat down in his office, holding a very chubby, active toddler Max. Looking over his desk, he said to me in his silky Southern accent, “Now Kathy, it looks like he’s active!
Make sure that he gets at least three hours of sunshine a day and run him like a dawg, like a Golden Retriever….He’ll be happy then. Kids need that, ya’ know. Don’t keep ‘im cooped up. It’s important he’s outside so he’ll be happy!”
However, good ol’ Dr. Whylie was right.
Here are some time-honored, mom-tested tips to wear out your active kids:
1. Get over the fact that not all kids are going to be calm, complacent and docile. In fact, I almost feel like something is wrong when mine act that way. They usually are sick, if I don’t hear some commotion.
2. Sometimes our job is to be more of a P.E. teacher than a mom. That’s okay. It was hard for me at first. My first two boys were nothing less than active little spider monkeys. By the time they were walking and before they had been awake for longer than an hour and a half, they were standing at the front door with their tennis shoes.
3. Children are generally happier outside—once you get them there. I know, I know, we as moms have so much to do inside the house. But active kids are tortured when they are inside too long and they will torture you.
4. Make room for jump ropes, balls, push toys, scooters, and ditch the Christmas decorations. If it makes your kid move, that’s worth your investment. If your garage looks like a sporting goods store, you are on the right track. And anytime you can mix water, sunshine and children, the more active they will be.
5. Make time for them to get their YaYas out. If you are asking what “YaYas” are, then you might not have as active kids as I have had. They are the things inside kids that just needed to be jiggled out on a daily, sometimes hourly basis. When they have been shaken out, peace comes over the whole household.
Exhausted, whipped, red-faced and …… happy kids.
It just makes parenting easier. Now, go grab a soccer ball and go outside!
