News, Mom Confession: I Refuse to Make My Kid Wear a Coat in the Cold. (teaching, toddlers)
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My daughter is 6 and unfortunately is hot natured like her daddy. He wears shorts all year round even in 20 degree weather. When it gets cold I make her wear long pants but I let her wear a short sleeved shirt as long as she has her jacket. Not all kids are the same. She may be six but she knows when she gets cold and puts on her jacket when she needs it.
As long as she doesn't get sick I don't see the issue. Mine rarely gets sick and when she does it usually a sinus infection that she would get regardless of the weather.
Meh, when my son was about 5, he kept insisting that he wanted to go swimming and I kept telling him it was too cold (Louisiana, December). I finally said , ok go in if you want to bad enough, He stepped in and stepped out in a matter of seconds and from that day on, he occasionally brings up the lesson he learned.
Yup. Unless it's actually cold enough for her to get frostbite in the time we're planning to be out, I don't think it's a battle worth fighting. I do insist that she at least has weather-appropriate clothing on hand even if she chooses not to wear it.
I do the same with my 6 1/2 year old. Some battles just aren't worth fighting and he has to learn consequences of his own decision making.
The temperature dipped down in the 30s the other day in my neck of the woods. It's November in the Northeast. It happens. But if you were driving through my hood, you might have seen a girl in a pair of shorts and a short-sleeve shirt standing outside on the soccer field and thought, What kind of crappy mother lets her kid outside without a coat on in the cold?
This is an ongoing source of entertainment for moms. I drive four 7th grade boys to school in the morning. This morning it was 23 degrees, and 3 of the boys were wearing shorts, all were wearing t-shirts with no jackets or hoodies. I had the seat warmer, so who cares.
It's understandable though.
I don't wear my coat to work because I know I won't be wearing it most the day but I do leave it in my car if I do need it.
At that age you're just getting into using lockers and it sucks, trying to fit a coat, a lunch, books etc in there or being forced to lug it around.
It's just the new generation. If I go into a store I leave my coat in the car, no one else is going to carry it for me and I sure as hell don't want to have to.
I remember as a kid, my mom forcing me into the scarf, hat, gloves. Me, walking to school with friends. About a 1/2 block away, ripping all the extra stuff off and shoving in backpack
And I have one kid who, without fail, every winter goes up into the attic (where I put the out of season clothes) and drags out tank tops and t shirts, which she wears to school. She does layer, so I guess I can't complain.
That was me when I was little.
I remember as a child being forced into a long sleeve all the time.
I can't stand long sleeves I this day. I wear a tshirt year round but it always have a hoodie around. I can't stand sleeves, I roll them up or wear tshirts.
Why is this a big deal? I am all for autonomy, but at some point, kids need to know, who the boss is, and if you give into everything, they think they run you. And they will.
Set limits. A coat is a no brainer. I don't care if it is a hoodie. That is good enough for me.
I have yet to meet a middle school boy in our neighborhood who wears anything approaching a proper coat during the winter. The standard uniform is a hoodie and basketball shorts, but if it drops into the twenties, they might throw on a pair of athletic pants. I've stopped caring, but it drives my husband out of his gourd! The kids claim it's because their lockers are too small to stow a real coat. Yeah, whatever. By high school, they all seem to come around and begin dressing appropriately for the weather.
Why is this a big deal? I am all for autonomy, but at some point, kids need to know, who the boss is, and if you give into everything, they think they run you. And they will.
Set limits. A coat is a no brainer. I don't care if it is a hoodie. That is good enough for me.
If you want to make a child who isn't cold wear a coat, go right ahead. I've had plenty of bosses who didn't make sense in my life.
A couple of weekends ago, my family took a hike at a state park near our home on a blustery day. On the ridge path, we came across a little girl, maybe all of four, with her parents. She was dressed in snow boots, shorts, and a camisole. As we approached, I heard the mother say, "Are you ready to put on your coat yet?" I assume it was for my benefit -- maybe she was afraid I'd think her a bad mother -- but honestly all I was thinking was "Damn, that's one tough little girl!" Little people are funny.
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