***This post was originally written as a Guest Blog post for Momstown.ca.

This is my final post for Momstown, as I’m finding the time commitment to be too much when my personal blog is where my true passion lies.  It’s been a great experience with a wonderful company and I’ve learned a lot about the world of blogging!***

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With a five-year-old and a two-year-old in my house about to embark on their respective SK and Nursery School starts, I’ve been thinking a lot about the ‘teacher role’ I’ve played in their lives to date.  I’ve been fortunate to work part-time, and so I’ve been able to spend the vast majority of my daytime hours with their amazing little selves by my side.

I’ve thought back to the practical skills I’ve taught them: putting on coats, taking off shoes, washing hands.  I’ve thought about the academics: colours, numbers, shapes.  I’ve thought about the life skills:  taking turns, using manners, saying hello.  But if I had to choose one thing, just one thing, that I’m proud that they’ve learned from me, is that I’ve taught them to move.

They’ve learned that movement makes you strong.  Movement makes you grow.  Movement makes you confident, capable, and full of life.  That movement makes you healthy.  That movement is simply a part of life.

I practice what I preach, and I preach movement.  They see me come home from the gym in the wee hours of the morning, tired and sweaty and happy.  They see me huffing and puffing as I push them through the snowy streets in the running stroller.  They see that we choose bikes rather than cars, exploring rather than TV, and playgrounds rather than movie theatres.  They see movement not as a daily chore, not as a ‘physical activity requirement’, but rather as a normal part of every day.

Have you seen this phrase floating around?

I couldn’t agree more.

Teach your kids to move.

Cozy and ready to go for a run.