Children's exercise equipment....facepalm

[Companion]

I couldn't believe a product like this exists.

[Elyse]

I think that would be cute at a gym, since gyms typically don't have an outdoor play area for kids and they could pretend to be working out like the parents.  It could be in the daycare area, and kids could run on it without bouncing off the walls.

But for home?
Ha, no.

[carloco]

I always thought it was sad to see a kid that is less than 16 trying to use exercise equipment at a gym.  I think of how boring it is to just run in place and the intense concentration necessary to keep the  high intensity required for a good workout; Children don't need that when they can explore and play. 
It seems that after kids are older than 8 y/o it is difficult for them to just go outside and play.  It needs to be organize in some kind of way.
Or maybe I'm just getting old and don't understand the next generations.

[GuitarStv]

Sigh.  Three cardio machines and a bench press station, but no squats?  For shame . . .

[Elyse]

I always thought it was sad to see a kid that is less than 16 trying to use exercise equipment at a gym.  I think of how boring it is to just run in place and the intense concentration necessary to keep the  high intensity required for a good workout; Children don't need that when they can explore and play. 
It seems that after kids are older than 8 y/o it is difficult for them to just go outside and play.  It needs to be organize in some kind of way.
Or maybe I'm just getting old and don't understand the next generations.

It would be sad if that was all they do.  But think about driving a car.  Kids are fascinated by that.  They get toys that lets them pretend to drive the car.  Is driving fun? No. 

The kid sees you on a machine, and he wants to do it too.  If it happens to be someplace where the kid can't run around (very dangerous to do so in a gym), then they may want to try it out just to see what is so magical about this thing.

The order that is forced upon kids 8+ isn't for the kids... it is for the parents.  They want order so they can catch a breath.  I won't argue if it is good or bad (I loved basketball which was structured, but I also continued to play in the dirt).  But I don't think anyone is doing it that young just because they think kids need structure.

[dragoncar]

I kinda want that happy bike.

[Hedge_87]

Makes me think of the play 60 campaign. I can't believe that we have to have to encourage kids to play.

[Unionville]

Whatever happened to "going outside"?

[Hedge_87]

Outside is scary. There is fresh air, sunshine, grass, and even dirt. It's just not a place for kids at all.

[MayDay]

I think my son's physical therapist has that.  Just something to consider, many of these type of products are utilized as therapy aids for kids with developmental delays. 

Of course, if they can cross-market them to idiotic parents, all the better for them! 

Just as a parent in general, I will also throw out that sometimes things like that help make long snowy winters bearable.  Our unfinished basement is full of scooters, mini trampolines, etc, to help get the wiggles out in the winter.  When the kids are acting like little hellions I send them for a jumping time out sometimes.  Works wonders. 

[sheepstache]

This reminds me of a discussion about gym class I remember parents at my high school having when I was a student.  The thought was that it was foolish to make gym class about big group games like dodgeball or baseball, when this wasn't something people would carry into their adult life.*  More useful, it was argued, would be to teach the kids things like golf or tennis, things more like what adults who regularly exercise do.  (Say what you will about these having the potential to be consumerist activities.)  So, I could kind of see the point here that people who think exercise = going to the gym want to instill that value in their kids early on.
But I agree that it makes me super sad.



*Recent trends have bucked this, at least among hipster white people.  http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/2008/06/02/102-childrens-games-as-adults/