Tuckahoe Village Departments

TUCKAHOE TALK
With Mayor John Fitzpatrick

Youth in the Time of Viruses

October, 2009

I haven’t written a column in nearly five weeks. Usually the inability to write causes me to get a little ornery since I can’t clear my head. My latest bout with being unable to write wasn’t due to a lack of material, but instead a virus. This particular virus was, thankfully, not of the swine variety, but rather the computer kind. You see, my children, like a conquering horde, devour everything within their reach. Those readers with children know electronic devices are not only non-exempt, they are often the first casualty. Whatever activity children appear to be eternally engaging in at the computer, ultimately leads to its demise. And even with ample protection, computer viruses can prove more deadly than their real world counterparts.

I often look over my children’s shoulder to parentally assess what they are doing. However, I must confess the multi tasking that I witness quickly gives me a headache. The simultaneous texting, IM-ing, X-boxing, listening to I-tunes and Googling, all while writing homework, hurts my brain. Unfortunately, many of those words I just listed (if they are even words) have become an alternative to actual playtime. This may be why statistics show kids spend 50 percent less time outdoors than they did 20 years ago. I realize a parent could point to the increase in child abduction cases, or even the volume and speed on our local streets, as reason enough to keep the kids in the house. I further realize that even while Tuckahoe’s Finest are always vigilantly addressing these types of matters, parents often remain fearful. Ultimately, each parent is forced to balance their child’s safety with the tendency to be insanely overprotective.

The question of whether all this “inside time” is a factor in child obesity, or the 4.5 million diagnosed with ADHD, or even the many suffering childhood depression, will not be answered here or maybe anywhere for that matter. But any parent will attest to the emotional value of keeping kids exhausted.

I have been on record in this very paper stating the government can’t be the sole entity providing entertainment for children, particularly teens. Self-motivation and imagination on the part of the kids are vital. I do believe part of the village government’s job is to always be mindful of ways to increase availability for youthful exercise.

With that in mind, our park renovations spearheaded by Deputy Mayor Steve Ecklond certainly help, but for the most part have consisted of modernizing the play apparatus of the smaller children. This is an essential good start for the little ones, but still doesn’t address our teens. Even with ample basketball courts located throughout the village, we can’t just hand every kid a basketball. Furthermore, many baseball fields are booked by not only organized leagues, but adult leagues as well. The consequence of scheduled bookings limits our teens’ ability to be spontaneous and start a pick up game.

The Main Street tennis court has long been an under-utilized feature in our largest playground. First, the enormous cracks that resulted from an original improper installation may be to blame for its lack of use, but I’m not convinced. Some have believed, similar to the field of dreams – if we fix it – they will come. Well Senator Klein was gracious enough to give Tuckahoe $50,000 to do just that. A few tennis gurus felt this was a waste unless we expanded to two courts. That would have required reducing other play areas or green space but the current board and I are unwilling to go down that road. So it will have to be one. Bids are out now and the spring should bring a grand opening.

Realistically, running around doesn’t require only parks; and just because a specific park feature exists doesn’t ensure it will aid kids in the pursuit of exercise. The fact is that first our youth must feel the need to embark on that pursuit. And many do. For example, 75 of the 250 participants in last week’s annual Tuckahoe Challenge Road Race were under the age of eighteen. The Summer Sunday biking along the Bronx River Parkway is another great way to get those teens outside. Since the parkway is closed, supervision of teens isn’t required and it’s free. This is a great feature for adults as well. However, don’t forget to bring a helmet and set a good example. As for myself, every year I swear to get some use of the bicycle and helmet I own, but alas I appear to have missed yet another season.

Parents determined to combat inactivity often find the most comfort in the world of organized sports. For those who require organized activity, I promise to work something out, village sponsored and free, for kids at the tennis court this spring. Also, the owner of the new squash club located on Elm Street has offered to set up a free program for Tuckahoe kids. Another organized Village activity can be found with Sergeant Peggy Belles and the Tuckahoe Police Explorer cadets. This group can be viewed quite often, weather permitting, engaging in physical training exercises throughout the streets of our village. Night runs on the streets even feature a police car escort.

Finally, I have a few problems with everything being organized. On principal I believe having to constantly drive my children around in order to maintain their rock star scheduling almost becomes counter productive to the original intent of exercise. I also believe the importance of the spontaneity of a kid’s pick-up game cannot be emphasized enough. Even if we put aside exercise for a second, we cannot discount the value of learning the skill of functioning without adult supervision, not to mention adult intensity. Let’s not forget, conflict management is a skill most of us learned playing unsupervised. Personally, I have taken a lesson from my parents and have resorted to simply throwing my kids out of the house.