On the Run

On Friday, I dismissed my little kindergartener back to his classroom once his time with me was over. I reminded him "Make sure you walk!". Then, like the responsible teacher that I am, I waited two seconds, then left my office to make sure he wasn't running.

He was.

My question is twofold:

1. Why do kids run everywhere?
2. When do kids/adults stop running everywhere?

I vaguely remember running places; usually, it was up or down stairs. I recall one instance, when I was about eight or nine, that my dad said "Stop running up the stairs". And I said "But I'm not running up the stairs". Then my dad showed me what it looked like to walk up the stairs, then made me do it. I remember thinking "Whoa, weird... I don't think I'm ever going to reach the top of the stairs at this rate!".

I distinctly remember a time in first grade when I stopped running pointlessly on the playground. I was watching some other kids running around in circles, and I thought "That looks like fun... They're going so fast and the wind is in their hair! I wanna do that too!". And I did... for about a minute or two. Then I realized "This isn't fun. This is hard work. I'm tired". Then I went and played on the swings.

And, now that I think about it, playing on the swings is a much more effective way to have fun and feel the wind in your hair without tiring yourself out. So while I may not be athletic, I am efficient!