As a middle-aged man with no real workout plan up to a couple of years ago who's now going through a blood pressure scare, this idea of scaring your kid away from physical activity, even in jest, feels like the first half of a horror story.

I can relate though. I suck at sports and was worried I would have sports-minded kids.

Nonetheless, I raised my kids on a diet of geocaching, bike riding, hiking, skiing and other outdoor activities in addition to the more sedentary variety.

I always sucked at sports and wasn’t motivated to improve. But neglecting fitness was one of my biggest mistakes. I hope to instill some sports into my kids. Getting them into math and science will be the easy part. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.