Thursday, October 11, 2012

Things That Annoy Me Thursday: Slow Walkers

See that?



That’s Natalie. Taking her time as we’re walking home from school.

We live about five minutes away from the school. To Natalie, it’s more like 5 hours. She’s always complaining that her “legs are tired.” I explain that exercise is good for her and she’s like, “I hate exercise.” I hope she never says that to Jillian Michaels. Otherwise she’s in for a long lecture about how it helps you live longer and keeps you healthier and blah blah blah.

I’m a fast walker. I cannot stand people who walk slow. I pass them. I always feel bad when I pass them and think that they’re like, “Well EXCUSE me for not moving fast enough,” to my back. My Mom was a fast walker. If I didn’t keep up, I was left behind. Well. Not really. But sort of. So I learned to sprint-walk. Tommy knows how to sprint-walk now.

Natalie….does not.

She’s a slow walker. And yes, I get that she’s five and has shorter legs. But I’ve seen her walk fast. She can DO IT if she wants to.

When we walk to school in the morning, I’m half asleep and not in the mood for her nonsense. I’m usually pretty far ahead of her and she meanders along behind me. Lalalala. Then she’ll stop and pick flowers. (Not garden flowers, just the tiny ones that grow everywhere.) If she sees a bug, she has to inspect it. She’ll decide to “take a rest” all of a sudden and I won’t even know until I’m way up ahead. Then I turn around and find her stretched out on the sidewalk.

This is why she probably won’t be able to walk to school by herself for awhile. She’d probably always be late! I think it’s cool that she wants to inspect and learn about the world she lives in—but why does it have to be at 8 in the morning?

Like I said, after school is no better. Sometimes I scoop her up and carry her until my arm feels like it’s going to break off—which is usually about a minute after picking her up. I shouldn’t pick her up, I know, but I also get that she’s been at school all day and probably IS tired. Plus, when I pick her up I think, “I can work out my arms!”

Could I drive? Yes. But honestly, I could use the exercise. I eat a lot of junk. Plus, it seems silly to drive when our destination is FIVE MINUTES AWAY.

I guess I’ll have to put up with my slow walker daughter. Maybe in time she’ll become a sprint-walker.

Or maybe she’ll continue to take a rest on the sidewalks.

Who knows?


20 comments:

  1. Ha ha! Natalie the Dawdler! Well- she IS taking time to smell the roses! I am a slow walker - but it's due to health issues. The other day I was shopping in Target and I was actually getting frustrated because I was walking behind these two women who were walking so s-l-o-w-l-y. They were like a snail. If I could pass them up, you KNOW they were slow! Actually, I couldn't pass them up, because there wasn't any room, so I had to cool my jets while they lolly-gagged their way to the cashiers!

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  2. Maybe you can learn to slow down, and look at the flowers (on the way home, going to school there is a time requirement)

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  3. My daughter is only 2, but she does the same thing. I used to think it was a toddler thing, but the neighbor has a 2 year old who keeps up with her. My kid has to stop and look at every little thing she finds on the sidewalk or look at someone's decorations. I am guessing she will be like Natalie when she is older, just walking along soaking in her surroundings. :)

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  4. We had 4 kids. Three walked fast and one....very slow. Now at 24 he is still walking slow but of all our kids I would say he is the happiest. And as far as carrying her? Just do it. Life is short

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  5. I'm a fast walker too!!! I never really realized until I took a walk with my mother and she is all "why are you always leaving me behind? Why can't we walk and talk at the same time?" Dang, but it gets hard to just slow down!

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  6. I'm a fast walker too. In high school my friends always told me not to wait for them after class since I'd just leave them behind anyway. Being short has it's advantages too. I can slip by people without hitting them. Duck and weave my husband like to call it. It works for me. Bud, on the other hand, is like Natalie. DRIVES ME INSANE!!! I feel your pain!

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  7. I don't know what to say, except that is truly hilarious!

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  8. Haha that is too funny! My boys know how to keep up, for the most part.. unless I need them to do something then they walk slower than a snail and it drives me bonkers! Ugh. I had to learn to sprint-walk because of my dad growing up.

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  9. Great blog! I'm a new GFC follower :)
    xo
    www.domesticsweetheart.com

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  10. my dd is the same way. she'll run wherever SHE wants to go but walk like a zombie to places she doesn't.

    and i'm ashamed...dd's school is 5mins away and i drive her! :\

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  11. I can't stand slow walkers either. I married a fast walker, luckily, and hopefully our kids inherit those fast walking genes!

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  12. I married into a fast walking family. Holidays are the worst for me because they are speed walking through the mall and I get lost in the crowds. They have literally had to call my cell to find out where I was before. Embarrassing. :( Needless to say, I am working on my walking speed!
    P.S. Hubs and I could never hold hands when we took a walk (back when we took walks aka before kids) because it looked like he was kidnapping me or something. Haha! Kinda funny now, I guess!

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  13. hey at least your walking!! WTG mama :)

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  14. haha, that's exactly like my sister and my dad! i'm not a fan of exercise, but i do like walking/jogging. i took power walking as a PE class in high school and that really helped me become a fast walker. :)

    <3, Mimi
    http://whatmimiwrites.blogspot.com/
    LensVillage Giveaway

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  15. I am a somewhat slow walker, unless I want to walk fast lol.

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  16. After two years of doing this myself with Bella, I'm grateful that she takes the bus here!!! Her line was "my legs are broken!". Seriously??? Such drama.

    So yeah, I know what you're going through and you have my sympathy! Perhaps encouraging her about all the fun things to do at school will help in the mornings? Or at home in the afternoons? Good luck!

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  17. O it drives me insane! and they seem to do it most when you just don't have the time for it. Cat just goes off to her own little world and then she forgets about the people on bicycles and then they have to ring their bells for her to get out the way and then I have to shout at her cause she's not hearing the bells --- so all I can say is good luck at 10 she has still not outgrown it.

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  18. my husband is a slow walker and i can barely stand to walk anywhere with him, even into a building from a parking lot. not only is he slow, his feelings get hurt and he pouts if i leave him in the dust. wuss.

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  19. I'm a fast walker too and I always wonder why people feel the need to shuffle along. There should be a fast and slow lane for walking.

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