The recent quarantine has given me a chance to really connect with my family. I’ve discovered that my son can build impressive LEGO structures by himself, and my daughter’s artistic talent is far beyond what I expected. My partner has shown surprising skills in car maintenance, while our dog remains cute but utterly useless.
However, spending this much time together also highlights certain challenges. While I may have suspected my kids had their quirks before, being cooped up 24/7 brings everything to the forefront—especially their walking skills, or lack thereof. Picture combining a sloth, a wild cat, and a blind cow on a hilly path with no sidewalks, and you’ll understand my experience during family walks. It’s a special kind of frustrating.
Am I exaggerating? Perhaps. But let me paint a picture of our latest walking adventure.
I attempted to rally the kids for a stroll around 11 a.m. They were far from enthusiastic and wanted to engage in other activities first, which delayed our walk by several hours—conveniently during the hottest part of the day. This is a classic parenting move of mine: knowing that something will likely lead to chaos yet proceeding anyway. I’m available for life coaching, if anyone’s interested.
After a solid ten minutes of coaxing them to put on their shoes and locating the dog’s leash, we finally hit the road.
My son is adamant about wearing flip-flops on walks, a choice that makes zero sense. Real shoes irritate him, so we relent. He also has a habit of walking along curbs like they’re tightropes—fine in theory, but he lacks the balance to pull it off. Just as we reach our neighbor’s house, he trips and takes a tumble, sending his sandals flying and prompting tears. After a bit of convincing, he continues walking while lamenting that his shoes hurt. Just one more house down, I notice he’s somehow managed to wear his sandals incorrectly. How is that even possible? I fix them, still baffled, and we carry on.
We have a miniature dachshund, and it turns out our new neighbor has two that look similar. My daughter was excited to see them, but of course, they weren’t home. She took the news hard, bursting into tears and insisting she wanted to go back. To recap, we were just four houses from home, it was sweltering, and both kids were already crying. My empathetic side told them to pull it together and keep moving.
They walk at a snail’s pace—I’ve seen other kids move faster. It’s as if they’ve adopted the tiniest steps possible, reminiscent of a beautifully graceful horse, except there’s no speed or fluidity involved. Every time they spot something mildly interesting, they stop dead in their tracks. This wouldn’t be a problem if they resumed walking after pausing. Instead, they freeze like computers that need a reboot.
My son trips twice more and loses his flip-flops again. Both kids become upset about a “scary bug.” We linger by a sewer drain for five minutes because they want to see a crocodile. When I insist it’s time to move on, they act as if I’ve just broken a promise about petting that mythical creature. We finally reach the spot to feed the ducks, which is the only part of the walk they look forward to—only to find there are no ducks.
We turn around to head home. My son loses his shoes one last time, and my daughter questions why I insist on these walks. Our poor dog nearly gets lost, and everyone keeps stepping on her. After what feels like an endless journey, we finally arrive home after covering just three-quarters of a mile. Ah, family bonding at its finest!
Despite the chaos, I know walks are good for them, and they need the practice. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to take a walk—by myself. I hear there’s a rather intriguing crocodile in the sewer that I’d like to meet.
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Summary: Family walks can become a challenging yet memorable experience when young children are involved. The chaos of managing their pace, emotions, and interests can turn a simple stroll into a test of patience. However, despite the struggles, the importance of family bonding and physical activity remains paramount.