Rearing an active child

By Katherine Nichols
Advertiser Staff Writer

Brock Santi, 5, and sister Ali, 8, cycle around their mom, Lori Santi, at home. Santi, a physical education instructor at Punahou School, urges parents to make free play a priority. Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser • • • How to raise a child to be... ...in control of his anger ...eager to learn ...tolerant ...healthy (Today) ...compassionate (September) ...wise (November)

"Since they were babies, we would hike on weekends," said de Silva. First, the adults carried the little ones in packs, or pulled them in wagons out to Ka'ena Point. Gradually, the children began to walk on their own, accompanied by aunties, uncles, grandparents and other families with young children. "Some of our hikes would be along the coast, and the kids would fish and swim," she said. "So they learned from aunties and uncles and kupuna. It was a wonderful passing on of knowledge and time spent together that you wouldn't have otherwise." In fact, de Silva still hikes with her 20-year-old son.

The side benefit? The amusement and family time was also exercise.

Raising a healthy, active child may seem like a challenge with the hectic schedules of today's parents, but experts say there are lots of ways to promote fitness so that the child enjoys it enough to continue later in life. Now with the sedentary lure of

digital cable, video games and computers, the issue has become more important than ever.

In a nation of rising rates of obesity, Hawai'i is leading the pack. "We've got a serious problem," said Kwok-Wai Ho, retired chair of Kinesiology and Leisure

Science at the University of Hawai'i, and co-investigator with associate professor Dennis Chai of a five-year study following how Hawai'i children develop and grow. After analyzing the data, they found that Hawai'i children grow normally, said Ho. But they discovered one shocking fact: The rates of obesity in Hawai'i were double the national average.

Obesity leads to "a host of other problems," said Chai, including early mortality, diabetes, strokes, cardiovascular disease and even some cancers.

So how can parents help ensure long, healthy lives for their children?

"The most important thing is example," said Dr. Shigeko Lau, a pediatrician at Straub Clinic and Hospital. "If the parents are active, it's much easier to get (children) into that lifestyle. It doesn't have to be a specific sport."

Newborns to pre-school

"From a young age, you can be kicking balls and playing catch," said Lau. Then, as the child gets older, the parent can decide whether the son or daughter is ready for a more organized situation.

"From the time kids are young, they should probably do things outdoors, whether that be sports or playing in the park," said Dr. Ronald Hino, a pediatrician at Straub. The first step in forming new habits is to start modeling the behavior yourself. "Just the fact that the kids see the parents enjoying any kind of activity helps," said Hino. "It gets kids motivated to follow in their parents footsteps."

Elementary school

School supplements the home when children get older. "Daily physical education is critical to get kids to recreate and not be in such a competitive situation," said Lori Santi, a 12-year veteran physical education teacher at Punahou School who has coached various sports from the collegiate level to her two children's soccer and basketball teams. "But it's really rare in Hawai'i." Most schools have reduced P.E. to a couple of times a week or cut it from the curriculum altogether. Santi urges parents to speak up at PTA meetings and do whatever they can to make physical education a priority in the budget. "It's one way to ensure that your kids get active."

Youth sports provide another avenue to an active life, if navigated properly. The American Youth Soccer Organization, for instance, allows children to participate in a relatively non-competitive environment, especially in younger leagues where no score is kept and only three children on each team play at any given time.

The danger, however, is too much competition, pushing the children too hard and overscheduling them to the point where the sport becomes a chore. Experts say frustrated children often become sedentary adolescents, seeking solace in less-threatening computer and video games.

"The youth sports thing has turned into kind of a nightmare," said Santi. "We should try and let kids enjoy the journey and not be so result-oriented. We as parents have ruined that. Kids who have bad experiences in youth sports are done by the time they're 10."

Often the parents' long-lost dreams of success in a certain sport become baggage the child unwillingly carries. "It can't be the parents' goals," said Santi. "If kids are not doing the sport (shooting baskets on their own, twirling a baton, etc.), then they're probably not interested." Santi, who lets her children skip practice once in a while if they're having fun riding bikes or playing outdoors, thinks it's important to "have a time of day when they're not going to lessons."

When children do get involved in sports, Santi agrees with Dr. Gary Ahn, an internal medicine and sports medicine specialist at Straub Hawai'i Kai, that more than two practices a week (plus a game on the weekend) before the child reaches 9 or 10 is excessive. When they start acting like they're not excited about going to practice, added Lau, that's a warning sign that parents are pushing too much.

At this age, and even into adolescence, there is a dramatic range of development, which can also translate to failure and frustration for the child. "You really have to pay attention to childhood biological age rather than chronological age," said Ahn.

Many sports don't take this into account. Pop Warner categorizes by weight, he said, but physical maturity can still vary widely. "If they're destined to fail, it might be prudent to wait (and enroll the child later), and it's tough for parents to see that," he said, adding that parental peer pressure sometimes influences decisions more than the child's needs.

If youth sports are too competitive or not fun for the child, alternatives are available. Santi advises exposing children to all kinds of sports and dance, as well as encouraging supervised but undirected outdoor play, allowing kids to make their own fun. "It's hard to tell what they like when (parents) are always directing them," she said.

Something else that has proven successful is parents signing up for classes with their children. Karate and aikido are popular choices, as is hula, which can be enjoyed even with a grandparent. Ahn also said many of his patients reside in Waimanalo, where outrigger canoe paddling is the activity of choice for the entire family.

Teens

"You have to be a little careful about how you approach an

adolescent who is a little overweight," said Hino. Santi confirmed that indelicate communication can lead to eating disorders, especially in girls.

"The key is not to put the child and parent in a position of conflict over exercise," said Hino. Seeking advice from a pediatrician or dietician invites a third party to mediate the situation.

As children approach adulthood, Santi stressed that lifestyle habits remain paramount. "Even if you just walk the dog with your folks," she said. "That's active and part of the routine."

Santi also said that when her P.E. classes are resistant to exercise, she offers a selection of activities. If she gives them choice, they're more receptive than if she takes the military approach, telling them, "we're going to run."

Teens can often find more success in individual sports, like tennis, golf, or swimming, or join scouting groups and YMCA programs that include hiking. Dance and cheerleading are also popular electives with older girls.

"Everybody running out to the gym is not necessary," said Ho. "We can increase physical activity through everything." Encourage kids to take the stairs instead of the elevator (do it yourself!); make walking or bike riding your transportation.

When it comes to diet, once again, everything starts in the home: "If the parents don't change their diet, how can they change the kids' diets?" asked Ho. "If the parent is not living a healthy lifestyle, it's almost impossible to teach the child."

To encourage activity, said Santi, joy is the key: "We've got to let kids have fun again."

As Ka'iulani de Silva has shown, the right approach can last a lifetime.

Suggested reading

Infants

• "You Can't Catch Me," by Rosanne Litzinger (Illustrator) and Charlotte Doyle, Harpercollins Juvenile Books

Elementary School

• "Magic Hockey Stick," by Peter Maloney and Felicia Zekauskas, Dial Books for Young Readers
• "Hiding in a Fort: Backyard Retreats for Kids," by G. Lawson Drinkard III, George Drinkard and Fran Lee (Illustrator), Gibbs Smith Publisher
• "Beach Play," by Marsha Hayles, Hideko Takahashi (Illustrator), Henry Holt & Co.
• "Fishing in the Air," by Sharon Creech and Chris Raschka (Illustrator), Harpercollins Children's Books
• "Sea, Sand, Me," by Patricia Hubbell, Lisa Campbell Ernst (Illustrator), Harpercollins Juvenile Books

Young Adult

• "Casey at the Bat: A Ballad of the Republic Sung in the Year 1888," by Ernest Lawrence Thayer and Christopher Bing (Illustrator), Handprint Books (Caldecott Honor Book 2001)
• "Throw Like a Girl: Discovering the Body, Mind and Spirit of the Athlete in You," by Shelley Frost and Ann Troussieux, Beyond Words Publishing Co.
• "Play Like a Girl: A Celebration of Women in Sports," edited by Sue Macy and Jane Gottesman, Henry Holt & Co.
• "Good Sports: Winning, Losing and Everything in Between," by Therese Kauchak and Norm Bendell (Illustrator), Pleasant Company Publications

Adults

• "Games Girls Play: Understanding and Guiding Young Female Athletes," by Caroline Silby and Shelley Smith, St. Martin's Press