[QUOTE=Bango Cheito]Au contraire, the problem is when they hit puberty and Dad is hitting the Geritol.
THAT is when you REALLY need all the energy in the world to keep on top of them!!!
As for living longer lives, yes! Healthier, in the US I don't fucking think so. Most people's bodies are a wreck by middle age here, and by the time they are 60 they have half a pharmacy's worth of pills to take on a daily basis.[/QUOTE]
Well, I agree, many people are a physical wreck once the American workplace and the demands of family are done with them. There are plenty of health problems with Americans.
However, at the same time, for example, you are seeing the median age of men increasing in marathons - in 1980, the median age was 34, by 2003 it was 40 (coolrunning.com). During that time the numbers of people finishing marathons exploded, so it's not simply that the population is getting older. The median age of Americans is around 35 years; the median age of people finishing marathons is out-pacing the overall aging of the population. There are a good number of Americans who are older and in good shape.
All this is a way of suggesting we are both right. I hope and plan to be in decent physical condition in my 60's; based on your posts it seems like you will be, too.
As for raising teenagers, I don't know that territory. My impression has been teenagers don't like spending time with parents in the teenage years, and that most of the time and energy parents invest in that time is less physical. But, like I say, I don't know.
