Florida Community Doing Its Best to Keep Kids Fat

Here’s the thing about little fat kids: they’re quiet.

We’ve all had that neighbor that gets mad at kids for innocently trespassing on his lawn while playing. He’s kind of annoying, but everyone just dismisses him as the neighborhood grump. Now imagine a community filled with neighborhood grumps, and welcome yourself to Edgewater, FL.

According to WKMG, a home owner’s association for an Edgewater townhome community is set to vote on a proposal that states: “minor children will be under the direct control of a responsible adult at all times.” The proposal would also outlaw the game of tag, skateboarding, Big Wheels, and loud or obnoxious toys on, “common property.” And if that isn’t enough, the rule brings with it a $100 fine for any violations.

For the children living in this particular neighborhood, the proposal of these new rules raises a legitimate question: “Where in the hell are we supposed to be kids?”

Childhood obesity has become an epidemic in America. So much so that our federal government had to implement the national stop-letting-our-kids-get-fat initiative, “Let’s Move.” According to stop-childhood-obesity.com, 16 to 33 percent of U.S. children and adolescents are obese, and “unhealthy weight gain due to poor diet and lack of exercise is responsible for over 300,000 deaths each year.”

The NFL and the American Heart Association even partnered up in the NFL PLAY 60 campaign to help integrate better health and fitness programs into schools in order to combat the reality of childhood obesity. With all of this at the helm, how could a group of community leaders collectively agree that not letting kids play outside in their own neighborhood is a rational idea?

Townhomes aren’t known for their lavish front yards. They’re known for not having yards at all. But kids need to run around somewhere. When I was a kid, we ran around all over the neighborhood, and no one cared because it’s what’s required of kids—they need to play tag and whiffle ball and hide-n-seek. They don’t need to be sitting on the living room floor playing XBOX and eating McDonalds, but if they’re quarantined by their own neighbors, it doesn’t give them much of a choice.

The HOA is still finalizing the rules and bylaws of the proposal, and voting is set to take place on April 27. In today’s world, communities need to be standing together to help keep our children healthy, not charging them $100 fines for being too loud. It would be tragic if chances for a healthy childhood were compromised because some people are tired of having to turn up the volume on “Matlock.”

[via WKMG]