Sep
24
Some Kids Want To Be Bad, But No Kids Want To Be Weak
One of the important strategies of Operation Pull Your Own Weight is to exchange the terms good and bad, for the terms strong and weak in your child’s vocabulary. Why you ask? In the seventeen years I spent teaching and coaching, I met plenty of kids who “wanted to be bad.” But I’ve never met even one who “wanted to be weak.” Have you?
Girls, Boys, All Ages…
That goes for girls as well as boys, regardless of age, race, ethnicity, religion, etc. Think about for a second, have you ever known anyone who actually wanted to be weak? Personally I’ve never known anyone, who ever knew anyone, who actually wanted to be weak. We all want to be strong. It’s just how human beings are programmed. And for most kids, being able to perform pull-ups is a sure sign of physical strength.
What Does It Take?
But what does it take to develop strength on the pull-up bar? According to the OPYOW recipe it takes…
* regular work (twice per week),
* eating right,
* getting enough rest,
* and avoiding tobacco, alcohol and drugs.
In other words we taught kids that if they worked out on the pull-up bar a couple times each week, ate right, got sufficient rest, and avoided tobacco, alcohol, and drugs, they’d get stronger on the pull-up bar. We also taught kids that if they failed to work out regularly, if they ate poorly, failed to get enough rest, and messed with tobacco, alcohol, and drugs, they were shooting themselves in the foot, and asking to be weak.
No Way! That’ll Make Me Weak!!!
In fact I had a kindergartner back in the Jefferson School days who, in front a class full of kids, looked up at me and said, “Coach, my uncle Freddie wanted me to smoke a cigarette with him last night, but I told him, “No way. That’ll make me weak.” I immediately gave this youngster five, as did his teacher, and the rest of his classmates who all understood that messing with tobacco, alcohol, and drugs make you weak! And as we said previously, none of these kids wanted to be weak in anything.
Readin’, Writin’, and Rithmatic Too…..
Interestingly enough, those same kids who want to avoid weakness on the pull-up bar, also want to avoid weakness in all other aspects of their lives too, including their academics. And interestingly enough the habits that make you strong on the pull-up bar are the exact same habits that make you strong in every other aspect of life as well. If you work at reading (writin’ or rithmatic) regularly, over a period of time, eat right, get plenty of rest, and avoid negative habits like tobacco, alcohol, and drugs, you’ll eventually be strong in reading (writin’ and rithmatic), taking it one step at a time.
In Conclusion…
In conclusion, done correctly, the lessons you teach on the pull-up bar carry over to all other aspects of a child’s life because, as we’ve said a number of times now, some of them may want to be bad, but none of them ever want to be weak. If you make your case in these terms, your kids understand, they’ll respond positively, and they will develop not only physical strength, but an inner strength and confidence (self esteem) in themselves and their ability to meet challenges, and to overcome obstacles. Is there a better lesson you can teach a child at a young age? Personally, I can’t think of one.
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