Everyone always talks about the boundless and robust energy children exhibit. But when we refer to raw children it is like experiencing a whole other kettle of fish. I am not referring to obnoxious, out of control or rambunctious energy. Raw kiddies have unimaginable endurance, focus and an unwavering supply of pure vigor. These raw moppets that overflow with zest require a ton of fresh air outdoors and mental stimulation (most children thrive on these and not just the raw ones).
In the raw world there is lots of chatter about how crucial exercise is to this lifestyle. The same theory applies to our dumplings. They already have an organic supply of vitality that compounded with a fresh, wholesome raw diet is explosive. If we don’t give our chicks an outlet for this dynamism then we are putting the writing on the wall for rowdy behavior.
Let me paint a picture for you from my experience. Zenchai is a very busy boy. He rarely sits still, is very involved in his car play and isn’t naturally the kind of boy that runs around (not yet any way). I kind of liken him to more of a mentally active child. But having said that he does have tremendous amounts of raw gusto to spread and expel.
As he doesn’t spontaneously run around (quite possibly due to lack of confidence from a couple of past falls down steps) he started to show some very aggressive and unacceptable behavior. His wee pot was bubbling over and he didn’t know what to do with it. He would become intensely frustrated and/or angry then lash out at us with head-butting, biting or hitting. As one can imagine, this was incredibly difficult to deal with. I started by reassuring him, letting him know that his BIG feelings are always allowed but the furious behavior was unacceptable. I tried having him draw pictures of how angry/sad/frustrated he felt. These things do work to some extent.
The one thing that has made the chief difference to his use of unacceptable behavior has been having more exercise. For Christmas we bought him a lovely wooden bicycle without pedals, which at the time was just slightly too big for him. However, he has since grown and he fits on it perfectly. Although he still isn’t walking or running much, he rides his bicycle for hours a day. Since his bicycle doesn’t have pedals he is effectively running. The real kicker is I have to briskly jog to keep up with him! His bicycle has given him renewed confidence to be physically active. Finally we discovered the perfect outlet for his abundant energy and resolved a tricky dilemma.
The moral of the story is to get your bumpkins moving using whatever strategy suits their personality. While their expending some punch you can get shaking too!! Now that is what I call win-win.
Here’s to groove’in (rain or shine),
Jamie x
Tags: children, exercise, Jamie's Musings, parenting
Well said Jamie! Exercise, especially outdoors, is vital to us ALL…Mother Nature is the best teacher ever!
I love this, Jamie! (I love the photos, too – that beautiful pale light of England makes for such gorgeous colour saturation in photos – and, of course, Zenchai is a SUCH a cutie!)
After a year in the shed, my girls’ bikes have finally seen the light of day – they were waiting for new inner tubes (the tubes are a non-standard size), and we’ve managed to find ones that fit – and I’ve been taking the girls riding along footpaths, jogging alongside them to keep up.
What a great way for parents to get exercise, too!