Why Are Our Children Falling Sick So Easily?

A change in weather and the only thing I get to hear or see is kids not keeping well! Are you, too, wondering why are our children falling sick so easily?

A change in weather and the only thing I get to hear or see is kids falling sick, not keeping well, suddenly allergic to something, and so on.

It is exam time, some of them might be appearing now, and some may have them next week or month, we as mothers are always worried about our health as well as study.

I think a lot about this because I do not remember falling sick so frequently as a kid as I see my son and other kids around. There would be multiple reasons for this.

I have tried to make a list of a few, best to my knowledge, many things can be done to reduce this, if not avoid it completely.

Is lifestyle to be blamed?

• The very first reason that I could think of is the lifestyle change that has happened over the years.

This includes eating and sleeping habits, negligible outdoor activities, more exposure to screens, and ease in commutes and chores as automation has taken over.

The list is small, but trust me, if we start talking about them individually, it will turn out to be a never-ending topic. But what do we do to correct this? The very first and most effective step would be fixing meal and sleep times and demonstrating it to them.

For that, we have to follow it first, because if they see us living a hippie life, they are not going to be something else!

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• The second thing we can do is, fix the screen duration. And try to make it productive usage! Yes, it is a challenge, but it’s worth it!

These are all restrictions but put them away so that they do not feel like restrictions any more. If the kids are 8-9 years old, it is easy to make them understand why it is necessary.

• The third lifestyle change that can be brought is, teaching them the art of moderation. They should be allowed to eat junk, but they have to eat healthy food too; they can eat at restaurants once a week if they have eaten healthy food at home for one whole week.

We need to avoid packed food and packet food with them or in front of them.

Why are we not doing physical activity?

Encouraging them to exercise daily would be the next mantra. Be it yoga, gymnastics, swimming, cycling, or following any sport, in any form, it will only benefit them.

As they say, a healthy mind resides in a healthy body! The most underlying fact about exercising is it helps build immunity and keeps the body flexible.

Also, if there is no other activity happening, good exercise will exhaust them enough to sleep on time and cut off the extra screen time that they would otherwise demand before sleeping.

I see so many products being marketed claiming to be healthy and building an immunity system, think twice and wisely before you stumble upon one of them. They might not only be addictive, but may have side effects.

Anything can be sold under the term healthy, do not trade for it. Rather choose to go for healthy and freshly made home food, not only during exams but all year round.

Screens are proven to induce anxiety, nervousness, and sleeplessness in addition to weak eyesight. But screens are the future, so we cannot keep our kids devoid of them. But to balance it out, we may introduce art forms to kids.

Art forms are therapeutic. They increase focus and concentration also helping to calm the kids from all the aggressiveness they get after playing games.

Global warming!

The next reason I could think of is global warming. I know we can not do much about it, but by keeping them educated about it, we can hope for the future generation to be conscious and mindful about using natural resources.

Our generation has gone overboard with fuel usage and plastic usage, but it feels happy to see e-vehicles coming, and plastic being upcycled for a better purpose. We have harmed our planet, and we’re gradually trying to reduce it.

It may not completely become normal, but it will reduce one day, let us hope so!

Image source: Neena Majumdar, India Studios, free and edited on CanvaPro

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