Ciara Conway (Waterford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

People talk about exercise and getting involved. My daughter is actively involved in the local hockey club and the local GAA club. We get notes home about the crazy driving behaviour of parents bringing their children to sporting activities. People are driving who live five or ten minutes away, including me. We must think about that.

Another issue was raised about young teenage girls. I was active as a teenager. I was involved in basketball and athletics but the focus was always on winning, not on taking part. That is a problem because not everyone is going to be an Eamonn Coghlan. We need fitness. The emphasis in this country is always on competitiveness and that is a problem.

Another issue of concern to me as the mother of a young daughter is that as a punishment if one misbehaves in school one is told to sit out from PE. What kind of message is that sending to children? That happens on a regular basis. Children misbehave. Anyone who has children knows that. My child is a bit of a chatterbox. I am sure she is a bit of a nuisance at the back of the classroom from time to time. Her punishment is to sit out from the 40 minutes of exercise provided in a week. We must examine the message we are sending to children in terms of the competitive behaviour displayed by parents on the sidelines and also as a result of the fact that the focus of clubs is always on winning and not on taking part. In defence of some clubs, the GAA has been excellent in trying to get women in particular involved by encouraging mothers to train alongside their children when they bring them to training sessions.

A worrying revelation is that the number one reason young teenage girls give for not wanting to do exercise is that it would make them sweat. That is the reality. What kind of society are young women growing up in that they are afraid to sweat in front of their peers? We must be realistic about the challenges that exist.

Could the leaders give me one tip that I should follow tomorrow morning in order to try to change?