In its own way, the picture on the top is probably as instructive as any debate when it comes to lowering the costs of our health-care system. I just posted the other one because I miss my Aunt Carol.
Studies show that physically active young people are much less likely to have health issues as they age. When I was a kid, we lived in a lean-to, ate once a month, and I walked 30 miles to school. Hey, had to exaggerate the "good ol' days." But one thing most all of us did do was play sports--most all the time. In the summer when I was 11-12, some neighborhood kids and I would get to a baseball field behind a church by nine and play until it got dark. Yes, we would break for lunch, unless Mrs. Davis had brough sandwiches. Fast forward a couple of years and a friend and I were at the Beverly Hills Park, which had a covered cement basketball court, most every day of the summer from sunrise to sunset. Think about that: playing basketball all day long. That, folks, is a workout! And then most of us started playing organized football no later than 13, we all were in Little League, pretty much up to Colt, which I think ended at 16; and a number of us played multiple sports in high school. We were in great shape.
When I visited Astroworld for what I think was my 14th birthday, a friend and I played a new game called Pong. It seemed pretty cool, but I wouldn't have traded it for a day at the field or court. Today, many kids live for their video games. Moms and dads, you're doing your kids a favor if you buy them a bicycle rather than an X-Box, a basketball instead of the latest version of Halo or World of Warcraft. Make a deal with 'em if you need to do so. Tell 'em: You play Little League baseball or on a youth basketball team, and they get their latest video game. They may not like it, but you'll be practicing good parenting, and they'll thank you later.
