When I Was In School...

 I used to hate when my parents started a sentence with the words, "when I was a kid" or "when I was in school".  It always meant that I was going to have to listen to a story about how much harder things were when they were growing up, compared to how easily I had it as a kid.  You all know those stories about how our parents walked to school barefoot, in the snow, uphill, both ways. 

It makes me cringe every time I hear myself uttering those words, which seems to be more and more often these days.  And whenever I do, I see my kids roll their eyes, as they dread the story I am about to tell. 

The difference is, my kids actually do have it easier.  Let's take their current physical education curriculum for example.  Last year, in 6th grade, Kasi didn't have one day of PE.  Not one.  This year, she only has it for half the year.  Ryan, who is in 8th grade, also only has it for half the year, and most days he doesn't even go.  You see, he is signed up for in school tutoring, and he goes during PE, because the school doesn't consider that a "necessary" class.  Brandi, who is in 2nd grade, has PE once a week, and most of the time, they just play a dance game on the wii.  That's right.  My kids plays the wii as gym.  It's like the teachers are incapable of making pe lesson plans on their own.

Now, when I was ins school, PE was actually physical education.  Starting in 4th grade, you had to change into gym clothes, because you would sweat.  When it came to my high school physical education, from 7th grade on, we had gym every other day throughout the entire year.  I know this equals out to the same number of days had we only taken it for half a year, but it was required every year.   In 11th and 12th grades, we had swimming (my HS had an Olympic sized pool), and you had to participate for six weeks.  If you didn't, you failed.  And if you failed, you didn't graduate.  Gym was a REQUIREMENT for graduation. 

These days, I feel like PE is put on the back burner, and that only contributes to the inactivity of kids these days.  So when I tell my kids how much harder PE was when I was in school, I am speaking the truth.

Unlike the walking to school story my parents always told.