How concerned with your posture
were you when you were a kid?! I know
for some of us, it’s been a while since we were in school and in addition, some
have tried to block memories of school entirely; but you didn’t care how you
sat in your desk. I leaned over my desk always. I sat cross-legged in my chair, classmates
would sit with their chair backward (until the teacher told them to sit properly). We’d lean all over hell with no concern about
how it affected our spines. At least my
backpack was always empty…
We also moved a lot more than
our kids do. We didn’t have Fortnite… or
Roblox… or Minecraft… whatever the addiction du jour is. Our kids may use both straps on their backpacks,
but they are stuffed full and weigh too much for our little ones to be burdened
with. They sit all day in desks and they
sit on their phones all evening. If we
aren’t careful, these kids are going to have SEVERE spinal issues, and many are
experiencing the trouble before they graduate high school.
There isn’t one answer to this
problem. Lighter backpacks; stretching
between classes; less homework; drastically limited time on devices; more time
outside playing or involvement in sports are all steps we can take and should
take. As a parent myself, I also realize
it’s hard to listen to Dad and Mom when they tell us to stretch after sitting
for 45 minutes. Kids don’t WANT to go
outside and play (some do, but most don’t).
We have used our phones as the babysitter while they were growing up and
now it’s nearly impossible to pry it away from them. (Plus we’re on ours, so why
do we get to judge?)
My oldest had her first week of
middle school this week. She is drained,
but I think she enjoys it. Her first day
of school, she stopped into the clinic and I adjusted her. I find myself adjusting my girls more during
the school year than during summer. I am
convinced the physical stress (micro-traumas) they endure throughout the school
year take an enormous toll on their little bodies.
If we can’t stop them from
sitting on their phones all evening, and we can’t be with them chiding them to
sit properly and we don’t have much say in the amount of stuff they need to
bring to and from school, then chiropractic is an important option. When I was in junior high, I’d lean back in
my chair trying to get my midback to “crack”.
When it did, I’d feel much better.
I didn’t know it then, but my body needed to be adjusted really
badly. Our bodies speak to us. When we are kids, we don’t know how to listen
very well to our bodies. Just look at a
toddler who is sick. They don’t know to
slow down, until they are all out of energy.
If you are finding your child is
moody after school, or complains of pain in their back, shoulders, hips, etc;
if your child’s teacher shows concern about not paying attention or fidgeting in
class, if your kid’s backpack can be used by you on your arm days then getting
them checked and adjusted to keep their backs moving and healthy is one great thing
we can do as parents to help our kids.
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