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The telltale signs of the next genocide
Fears in Rwanda that the next outbreak of fighting could engulf much of Central
Africa
Two of Joseph Habyarimana's children died of cholera in a camp for Rwandan refugees in Zaire. Yet
he and surviving family members stayed on in the fetid camp for more than a year.
Habyarimana and his family--along with 1.2 million other Rwandans in refugee camps in Zaire, Burundi
and Tanzania--were virtual hostages to the Hutu-led Army and militias that last year slaughtered as
many as 1 million people before fleeing Rwanda.
Now the deposed government forces are rearming, reorganizing and training for more war--while the
international community feeds the refugees who live under their control. There are widespread reports
of refugees being murdered when they attempt to return to Rwanda.
More than 18 months after the genocide in Rwanda, not a single perpetrator has been punished. And
as the strength of the former government forces grows, so does the specter of a new war that could
engulf not only Rwanda but much of Central Africa.
The key is Zaire. In August, after forcibly expelling some 15,000 Rwandan refugees, Zairian authorities
announced that all refugees must leave by the end of the year. But in a recent interview with Belgium's
La Libre Belgique newspaper, Zairian dictator Mobutu SÀesÀe SÀeko effectively reversed the
decision by claiming that the refugees would only return home freely--defusing, for the moment, the
humanitarian crisis that the sudden return of so many people to war-torn Rwanda would have caused.
So far, Mobutu has been the main beneficiary of the Rwandan tragedy. Western governments that
earlier attempted to punish the corrupt leader for thwarting democracy have been forced by the crisis to
resume relations to enable their humanitarian organizations to care for the refugees. Last week, the
European Union approved an aid package to cover the damages done to Zaire's infrastructure by the
refugee influx.
Despite the reprieve for refugees, relations between Rwanda and Zaire continue to deteriorate. In late
September, Rwanda's foreign minister flew to Mobutu's palace at Gbadolite for a scheduled meeting
only to arrive as the presidential jet was taking off. After waiting for hours, the visitors were given a fax
saying that Mobutu was in Portugal and anyone who wished to speak to him would have to go there.
The Rwandans declined.
The new Rwandan leadership charges that Mobutu continues to help its foes, the former government
forces. Earlier this year, a report by the Human Rights Watch Arms Project revealed that Zaire was
shipping arms to the former Hutu government and its militias inside Zaire. The former Army and militias,
as well as extremist Hutus from neighboring Burundi, are also being allowed to train on Zairian territory.
"Zaire is directly involved," says Col. Joseph Karemera, Rwanda's health minister.
Hit and run. In recent weeks, cross-border attacks by Hutu extremists from camps in Zaire have
escalated. In October, U.N. observers recorded 50 incidents, including the hijacking of an aid truck,
attacks on infrastructure and the slaughter of a family of 10 in the Rwandan capital, Kigali--some 100
miles from the Zairian border. Western diplomats say these attacks exhibit a new level of coordination:
Earlier this year, most cross-border incursions were hit-and-run attacks by small bands of three to five
men. Recent incidents have involved as many as 30 Hutu fighters.
There is growing concern that such attacks are a prelude to a full-scale invasion by the former
government. "They will attack," says Maj. Jean-Bosco Muliisa, area commander for Gisenyi, the
Rwandan town just across the border from Goma, where some 700,000 refugees live. "All signs show
that."
Many Rwandan officials insist that if a Zairian-backed invasion comes, they will not only fight back at
home but will take the battle to Zaire as well. They recall that Mobutu sent Zairians to help the former
Rwandan government in 1990. Says Colonel Karemera: "I think we shall fight them again; it's almost
inevitable."
That could lead to a different, even bloodier, kind of African war. Since the 1960s, when the bulk of
African countries began achieving independence, almost all African conflicts have been civil wars. A
war between Rwanda and Zaire could engulf the subregion by setting off a chain reaction in Burundi,
where fighting between Hutus and Tutsis has destabilized the country for more than 18 months and left
thousands dead. Last week, Burundian troops killed more than 250 Hutus in a refugee camp in
northern Burundi. Uganda, the primary supporter of the new Rwandan government, could also be
dragged into the conflict.
Meanwhile, investigators and lawyers for the United Nations tribunal on the Rwandan genocide have
been working furiously since July to complete the first indictments by the end of this year. The
tribunal--similar to the one investigating war crimes in the former Yugoslavia--is headed by South
Africa's Richard Goldstone and aims to bring to trial the masterminds of the Rwandan genocide. It is a
tall order: The tribunal's budget of $10 million to indict as many as 400 people isn't much more than
what Los Angeles County spent prosecuting O.ºJ. Simpson. Because of a blanket U.N. funding
freeze, investigators must now have the approval of a U.N. under secretary general before they can
travel outside Rwanda, where almost all the suspects have taken refuge. To travel within Rwanda, the
understaffed tribunal's 30 lawyers and investigators must share five vehicles.
Despite the recent attacks, a kind of shellshocked calm prevails throughout much of Rwanda. People
have returned to fields and villages, and basic civil services have resumed. Yet fear simmers. Most
Tutsis believe an attack by the former government is inevitable. Conversely, many Hutus are convinced
that the new government is planning a genocide against them. Rumors abound: In Kigali, tales of Tutsi
nurses murdering Hutu babies at the city's main hospital have resulted in most Hutu mothers giving birth
at a smaller facility or at home. Many Hutus believe that the 53,000 people being kept in horrific
conditions in Rwanda's prisons are there so they can be slaughtered should another war start. "What
they want is to take their revenge," says one 34-year-old Hutu who returned to Kigali to resume his
job, "and their anger is sharpened by what they see when they are burying those people who were
killed in this genocide."
Most analysts agree that the current situation could have been prevented had the world heeded the
U.N.'s call last year to put peacekeepers into the refugee camps to separate civilians from those
responsible for the genocide. Yet, burned by Somalia and wary of another Bosnia-style peacekeeping
mission, all but one of the world's governments--Rwanda's--refused to send troops. The consequences
could be all too clear, all too soon.
BY ERIC RANSDELL IN RWANDA
US News Online: http://www.usnews.com/usnews/issue/rwanda.htm
Sibling Rivalry CNN interactive http://cnn.com/HEALTH/indepth.health/parenting/children/rivalry.html
So your children don't always get along. In fact, sometimes they seem to genuinely despise each other. Should you be surprised? No. Is there anything you can do about it? Maybe.
First off, think back to your childhood.
Maybe you had siblings. Did you always like them? No, we didn't think so. Or maybe you were an only child. Would you really have liked being forced to share your toys and your parents with a little brother or sister? Sure, maybe sometimes, but ALL the time? Not likely.
As long as there are brothers and sisters there will be sibling rivalry. But that does not mean you have to sit back and watch your children torture each other. We've surveyed some of the most popular parenting sites on the World Wide Web, looking for advice on how to cope with sibling rivalry. Here's a summary of what we found.
Guiding Principal Number one
Being Fair
Much of the literature on sibling rivalry seems to stress one principal that parents and children should try to keep in mind: All things are NOT equal. Sure, you should try to be fair, but don't think you have to count out the peas and make sure each child gets the same number at dinnertime. Let your children know that the decisions you make are based on need, not necessarily on fairness. At the same time, try to avoid using the phrase, "life isn't fair." To a child, those words often translate into "Mom isn't fair" or "Dad isn't fair."
Guiding Principal Number Two
Taking Sides
The experts also seem to agree on another point: Don't play referee. If your kids try to get you to choose sides in a dispute, refuse. Let them try to work it out on their own. You can teach them negotiating skills later when things calm down. With a little practice, they may learn there are perfectly good alternatives to playing tug-of-war with a disputed doll.
Create the Right Atmosphere
The key to keeping peace in the house is preventing fights before they break out. Here are few preventive measures you might try.
- Show Confidence In Your Children
Tell them you're sure they'll be able to get along when you leave them alone. They may actually try to live up to your expectations.
- Don't Meet Hostility With Hostility
Anger tends to feed on itself. How will your kids learn to control their anger if you can't control yours?
- Make Time For Each Child
Group time is good, but it's important to make each child feel special. Carve out some time for one-on-one get-togethers at the ice cream shop.
- Separate Them
We all need our own space. Make sure your kids get some time away from each other.
- Hold the Comparisons
How do you like being told you don't measure up to someone else? Not much? Guess what. Your kids don't like it either. Avoid comparing one child to another and you'll avoid a major cause of sibling rivalry.
- Praise Good Behavior
Let your kids know that you like to see them getting along. Maybe they'll try to do it more often.
- Division of Labor
Meal times and snack times can be especially tough on parents. Avoid arguments about your lack of fairness by letting one child divide the food and letting thes other serve himself or herself first. You may be surprised how evenly things turn out.
Set Ground Rules
Sometimes you need to tell your kids that if they fight, they'll have to pay the consequences. Some suggestions:
- Fought-over Items
Anything that the kids fight over immediately gets put away for the rest of the day, or any period you choose.
- "Me First" Shall Be Last
Anyone who says "me first" immediately goes to the end of the line.
- Last Laughs
All children who make fun of their siblings' punishment get the same punishment in return.
- Car Fights
When fights break out in the car, the trip is immediately suspended. The car will pull over and remain there until calm is restored.
- No Tattletales
No use telling on your brother or sister. Your words will fall on deaf ears.
- Put Up Collateral
Your daughter wants to borrow your son's soccer ball? Fine. But she'll have to put up something of equal value to ensure she returns it.
Sources:
CNN transcript
Saturday Morning News
New Studies Show that TV News Violence Frightens Children
Aired August 22, 1998 - 8:23 a.m. ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS
FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MARINA KOLBE, CNN ANCHOR: Entertainment shows on television
have been criticized for decades as being too violent for children, but what
about violence on television news shows, and their affect on kids?
BOBBIE BATTISTA, CNN ANCHOR: Two new university studies show
the effect is often frightening, with 51 percent of children in one study saying
that they can recall being scared by TV news footage.
Joining us now to talk about this and the effects on children is Kevin Dwyer
of the National Association of School Psychologists.
Good morning and welcome to you.
KEVIN DWYER, NATL. ASSN. OF SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS:
Good morning.
BATTISTA: What exactly was the basis of these studies or the outcome
here, the final conclusion?
DWYER: Well, the outcome is that many children are shocked and
frightened by some of the things they see on news on television. You know,
television news sometimes -- the saying goes, you know, "If it bleeds, it
leads." And I think those kinds of television, shocking television, affect
children, particularly, very young children; children who are -- who can't
discriminate between that happening in a news show versus that happening
on their own street or in their own community. KOLBE: But, how much are
young children actually watching television news. I have a six-year-old and
the last thing she's watching is television news. She's watching cartoons.
DWYER: If the news is on at dinner time and the family is sitting around
watching the news, then they're going to be watching it. And I think that if
that happens, I think it's important for parents to think through whether or
not they should flip it off and, in fact, maybe avoid having news on if they
believe that the news will show a lot of violence; particularly, violence against children.
BATTISTA: So, it could just have a kind of peripheral effect. Even if it's on
in the room when the children are playing in there.
DWYER: Oh absolutely. We're not aware -- children are learning all the
time, and if you think -- just think of the television set as a teacher in the
house, and the teacher is teaching your children something, and, you know,
you have to monitor what that teacher is saying to your children.
KOLBE: So, what age is it a good idea for children to watch television?
Because, like you say, they can learn. They can learn that, when they see a
child that's fallen into a swimming pool because they didn't listen to their
grandmother, that you should listen to your grandmother, because or else
you will drown; that there are consequences to our actions; that you should
stay away from strangers. So, television news can sometimes give some
benefits to the children.
DWYER: Oh, absolutely. And I think that here is the way you really need to
-- parents really need to think about dialoguing with their kids when
something does, you know, when they do see something that can be a
lesson, and to follow it up with how they, in that family, make sure that that
doesn't happen.
Kids need to be assured that they're safe. They need to be -- even children
at 10 or 11, 12 years old, but very young children, we need to be careful
that we don't expose them to things that are frightening, because it does have
a long-term impact for some children.
BATTISTA: I was just going to ask you what the effect was exactly on
young children? What should parents be watching for?
DWYER: What can happen is that some children may have nightmares.
They may show fear toward different people. They may show fear in
different places, because those places are similar to the places they saw on
television.
They may be, you know, the shootings in schools -- when the children see
kids coming out of school who are bleeding and wounded, they can become
afraid to go to school, and even get what we call "phobic" to have a
long-term effect on them.
KOLBE: But how much is fear just a natural instinct, because sometimes,
you know, just babies seem to be having nightmares?
DWYER: Oh, of course. I mean, there are -- but, I think that when you talk
to your children, I mean -- we do know that very small infants may have
nightmares. It's interesting, though, that lots of times, if you get to the roots of
some of those anxieties that kids express, you'll find out that sometimes it is
something that they observed in their environment.
Even some of the children's shows themselves, with monsters and things that
are even kind of humorous sometimes have a negative effect on very young
children. Particularly, children, you know, if you think of children, preschool
children in particular, we ought to really -- cartoons are not appropriate for
many of those children, and we ought to think through, "What is that cartoon
really saying to my child?" And, you know, if you get into that kind of thing
about news, "What is the news saying to my child, my three-year-old, my
five-year- old."
BATTISTA: So if you ignore this, what might be the long-term effect?
DWYER: Well, as I was saying, sometimes the long-term effect, and it's not
typical, it doesn't happen a lot, but sometimes the long- term effect can be
some phobic fears; fears that last for a long period of time, and that are very
difficult to understand where they came from. And, you know, the
four-year-old who comes up to me and says -- walks up to me in a room
and says, you know, "Are there any monsters in this room?" And, you
know, that means that somehow or other they've seen something that made
them afraid.
Now, luckily, they can share that with me, but the point is, then we can go
through it and share something about it. And this is what parents can do.
They can talk to their kids about things. For example, when there is violence
on television that they see, they can assure them that they're safe. When they
see violence -- fantasy violence, they can make sure that the children know
that that is fantasy violence, that that really isn't fun, that that really does
cause people to die, and that we don't want to see that. You know, we don't
like that kind of thing. We try to avoid watching those kinds of shows.
It's very important for parents to monitor what their kids do see on
television. Keep thinking that our kids learn from what they see. They learn.
They learn a lot incidentally, and we need to be absolutely sure that, you
know, we know what they're learning. We don't want them to be learning
things that are inappropriate.
KOLBE: Kevin Dwyer, thank you so very much for sharing your insights this
Saturday morning.
DWYER: Thank you.
KOLBE: So the lesson, Bobbie, important to actually watch television with
your kids to explain to them, and do your job as a parent.
BATTISTA: Like anything else on television when they're young.
KOLBE: Absolutely.
from U.S. News-- News You Can Use http://www.usnews.com/usnews/issue/981012/12lego.htm
Toys that think
But will you ever let your kids have a turn with them?
BY RICHARD FOLKERS
Anthony Fudd loves his Legos. Among the Somerville, Mass., student's oddball creations is a robot, which sits inside a refrigerator and confirms that the light really does go out when the door shuts. Another machine
deals poker cards (though from the bottom of the deck) to four players. Fudd constructed a Lego copy machine,
including a light sensor that detects writing, and a felt-tip marker that duplicates it. Fudd would be considered
quite a prodigy--if he weren't 27 and a student at the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Clearly, Legos aren't just for kids anymore. Though he enjoys doing it, Fudd gets paid by Lego to build its new $200 high-tech toy called the MindStorms Robotics Invention System. The 727-piece Lego kit lets users (age 12 and up, says the Danish company) make robots. Along with the familiar Lego blocks, the set contains
gears, wheels, axles, drive belts, and other parts needed to complete moving creations.
The MindStorms set, which went on sale in September in toy and electronics stores, is part of a trend toward toys that think, says Chris Byrne, editor of Playthings MarketWatch, a toy industry newsletter. "As the price of
technology drops, it's showing up in toys," he says. "Kids expect their toys to beep and talk back to them
and have an attitude." Other "smart" toys to watch for, says Byrne, include the Furby from Hasbro's Tiger
Electronics (story, Page 73) and Amazing Amy ($70 from Playmates Toys), an interactive, talking baby doll.
High-tech Legos aren't totally new. They were available in product lines sold principally to educators for up to $700. Those sets and the new mass-market MindStorms spring from a collaboration between Lego and the MIT Media Lab. There, Fred Martin, an MIT research scientist, helped develop much of the microprocessor
technology ultimately used in MindStorms sets. He got involved because he thinks that good toys should lead
kids to constructive play. Lego, he says, is "a toy for making other toys. It puts kids in the driver's seat."
Technological toys can also keep adults interested. Some, in fact, use Legos in their work. Rick Lazzarini, a creator of animatronic creatures for films (like the horror movie Mimic) and commercials (such as the Budweiser frog ads), works out creature concepts with them.
Since late July, Fudd has crisscrossed the United States, demonstrating the possibilities of the new set to school children and adults. Fudd has built his creations at Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry and at
research labs and universities. In Las Vegas, his card-dealing robot took an impromptu, and uninvited, turn
on a casino gaming table, much to the pit boss's chagrin. In Cawker City, Kan., another of Fudd's robots
added a strand to what is purported to be the world's largest ball (at more than 17,000 pounds) of pure sisal
twine. The little Lego vehicle held a spool of twine and did a lap around the ball.
What makes the MindStorms system work is its brain, the RCX (the name doesn't stand for anything). It's a microprocessor about the size of two decks of playing cards that is usually built into a robot's body. The RCX
sends electronic orders to up to three motors (a set comes with two), and to sensors that respond to light or
touch. The RCX uses programming instructions sent by a personal computer to its infrared receiver. (An infrared
transmitter, which connects to a computer's serial port, is included in the set.)
Iconic. Software, also included, but for Windows 95 only, lets you create custom instruction programs and send them to your robot's RCX. You simply assemble a string of icons that represent commands, such as left
and right turns, reverse, sound effects, pauses, sensor settings, motor speed, or custom-designed functions.
Drag the icons together into a row and send the sequence off to the toy. Touch a button labeled "run" on
the RCX, and your creation goes to work. One of the simplest programs causes a vehicle to move forward
when it's hit by a flashlight beam and stops it when the light goes out.
Of course, you're not going to be a master builder from the start, but in an hour or two you can be making machines that appear to think. The instruction book lays out step-by-step plans for seven robots. One of the most interesting is the Torbot, a vehicle that moves around on bulldozerlike treads. On its front are two prongs,
connected to touch sensors to make feelers. If the Torbot reaches the edge of a table, a feeler senses it,
the robot reverses course, away from the precipice. It's really a brainy wind-up toy, but you are the engineer.
Point and shoot. If robotic basics get boring or you just don't have an inventor's mind, there's a Web site ( www.legomindstorms.com) full of ideas. You can sample from a rotating group of missions, like the Photobot, a
robot that carries and snaps a point-and-shoot camera (you provide the camera). Each MindStorms buyer also
gets a page on the site, a spot to post robot designs and pictures. There are also three expansion sets ($50
each), called Extreme Creatures, Robo-Sports, and Exploration Mars.
Fudd's most impressive creation (made with parts from several MindStorms sets) is a mechanical arm that mimics the movements of a human arm. Fudd wears sensors in his hand, wrist, and elbow, which send
commands to the foot-long arm. It has a wrist that pivots, an elbow that bends, and pincers made of rubber
tires. The ultimate Fudd Lego creation, though still only a concept, is a 3-foot-tall machine that walks.
After wrapping up the 8,500-mile promotional tour last week, Fudd returned to the grind of MIT, several weeks late for the start of his senior year, as a visual design and mechanical engineering major. He hit campus,
knowing that someone will ask, and not for the first time, whether all that expensive education has been
squandered on toys.
Invariably, he says, the questioner will steal a glance at one of the robots and then gush, "But that's so cool."
Your kids will speak Furbish
U.S. News-- News You Can Use http://www.usnews.com/usnews/issue/981012/12furb.htm
And you thought those Tickle Me Elmo or Barney dolls were irritating
BY RICHARD FOLKERS
Take a stuffed animal, give it looks like a movie gremlin, and blend in a virtual pet that speaks its own language and laughs like David Letterman. You've got a Furby, a new toy that's a lock to enthrall kids and sure to annoy their parents.
The new $30 animated plush toy from Hasbro's Tiger Electronics wiggles its ears, closes its eyes, moves its beak, and dances. You can tickle its tummy, pet its back, feed it, sing it to sleep, and scare it with loud
noises. It will laugh, purr, sneeze, burp, or make other rude noises. And, it talks.
When you first put in the four AA batteries (unfortunately, there is no on-off switch on the creature),
Furby says its name, and begins to speak a made-up language called Furbish. Thanks to a dictionary, you'll
know that "may-may" is "love," and "Dah/doo-ay/doo?" means "Big fun?"
Over a matter of days, the Furby will begin to speak English words; it will eventually split its
200-word-and-sound vocabulary between the two languages. It's not actually learning, but responding to
stimuli in programmed ways.
One Furby will "communicate" with another (through the infrared port), appearing to teach it songs, laughing infectiously, or even passing on its cold. Furbys can also have group conversations, a feature that could prompt serial purchases. (There will be six fur-color combinations and three eye colors.)
Furbys are little marvels of technology. They are controlled by a microprocessor, which juggles signals from six sensors. There are touch pads on the front (for tickling) and rear (for petting), a tilt sensor, a light sensor (it goes to sleep in the dark), a microphone, and the infrared port. Each sensor has a "priority status," so a
Furby being tickled while held upside down will choose fear over laughter. Tiger says each Furby will have a
unique "personality."
No deaths, yet. Furbys will also respond to commands in the form of claps, play "Furby says," and dance to music. (The small instruction book is skimpy in useful instructions.) Parents of the younger set (ages 6 and up
are recommended) will be glad to hear that, unlike many virtual pets, Furbys don't die. If unattended for several
days, a Furby will grow groggy and cranky, refusing to respond until you pretend to feed it. Furbys retain their
memories while you change the batteries.
One cautionary note: Kids will bond with Furbys. The 8-year-old toy tester for this story had trouble letting go. "Dad, I know you have to send it back [lip begins to quiver], and I know it's just a toy," she said, "but,
[sniffle] it told me [sob] that it loved me [sob, sob, sob]." Furby will roll out nationally over the month of
October.
News You Can Use 4/6/98--http://www.usnews.com/usnews/issue/980406/6heal.htm
ON HEALTH
BY NANCY SHUTE
Go out and play
I hated PE. It was bad enough in grade school, when I had to hide behind the most popular girl to
avoid getting my glasses smashed in dodge ball. Junior high was worse: gym suits with bloomers, group showers, teachers who looked like Mike Ditka yelling, "You throw like a girl!" By high school, I was scheming to avoid first-period gym; it ruined your hair for the day. It wasn't until years later that I discovered that breaking a sweat could
be a pleasure, not a penance. And now here I am, advocating the return of gym class.
That's because these days many American children don't get much after-school exercise beyond pushing channel-change buttons on the television remote. Rather than splashing in the swimming pool all summer, kids are surfing the Internet. That life of leisure, delightful though it may be, is setting up our children to become fat, sickly adults.
Boys and girls who watch four or more hours of TV a day are significantly fatter than children who watch two hours a day or less, researchers at Johns Hopkins University reported last week in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Twenty-six percent of American children watch the tube more than four hours a day. For black children it's 43 percent; for Mexican-American children it's 31 percent. Such inactivity is troubling, since
childhood obesity sets the stage for a fat adulthood, and with it, increased risks of high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease.
Teen slugs. Most boys do a pretty good job of getting off the couch for at least three 20-minute
bouts of vigorous activity weekly. Young girls are almost as active as boys, but by the teen years fewer than 65 percent get the minimum recommended exercise, with 20 percent of teenage girls getting no exercise at all. Black and
Mexican-American children exercise less than white children, perhaps because of parents' concerns about neighborhood safety.
That's a problem because regular, moderate exercise throughout life is the key to health and longevity. Health authorities say kids should have daily PE classes through high school. But physical education is becoming history in many school districts, thanks to budget cuts and competition from other activities. Illinois is the only state that
still requires daily PE in each year of school; nationwide, most high school students take PE just one year. The classes that do still exist often don't offer more than six to 10 minutes of aerobic exercise. Yet for many kids, particularly those
whose parents have neither the time nor money to get them to soccer or ballet after school, PE is their best chance to get a regular workout.
To get kids off the couch, parents need to get moving, too. It's no wonder that our children are such slugs, when 25 percent of adults get no exercise at all. Here's a small sacrifice you can make for your kids: Give up 30minutes of TV, and take them for a walk. It's an investment in your child's future, it's free, and it pays you the dividend of a smaller waistline.