OK, I have a rant......here's something I see all the time and I don't understand. How is it that people can send their small children to school on a chilly day like today in short sleeves and shorts, without a jacket?
I think that's insane and borders on neglect......especially when you see the parent all bundled up in a nice warm jacket or sweatshirt. This morning when I dropped my son off at school, it was barely above forty degrees......I had him in a long sleeved shirt, jeans, and a jacket. I saw not one, not two, but three separate kids(elementary age) being walked up to the gate of his school in short sleeves, shorts, no jacket.....and here's mom or dad beside them in a cozy sweatsuit or jacket, all nice and toasty warm. I don't get it. Is it self involvement or just stupidity on the parent's part? I have wondered if they could be out of towners and anything abovt thirty degrees is considered balmy to them....but then when you have the parent next to them with warm clothing, then that theory kind of goes out the window. I have also thought that perhaps some people can't afford warm clothing, but in the example of my son's school - it's a private school so these people can spring for a child's jacket....and there again if the parent can afford one the child should have one as well.
I hate it even more when I see someone outside in the cold with a baby in a onesie with not even a blanket around them or socks on their little feet, and of course the parent is warmly dressed. Are these people not aware that, hmmmmmm, if I'm freezing, then my baby must be cold, too???? On my one of my very grumpy days I have told people before that they need to bundle up their baby as it is way too cold, and they give the stinkeye in return,........someone needs to drop a knowledge bomb on these types. They are probably the same people who wonder why their children/infants are sick all winter!
-end of rant-
I agree that parents should
I agree that parents should bundle up their kids when it's chilly out...but I will also say that sometimes, the kids choose to wear shorts and put up a fight! I haven't reached that age with my little ones yet, and hopefully, I'll find a way to ensure they don't go to school underdressed, but some of my friends have said after fighting all morning and running late, they have finally given in and let their kids wear what they want.
Hobbymommy, 38, is a discussion leader from Mesa. She is a happy stay-at-home mommy to a 3-year-old daughter and a 2-year-old son.
well, I can understand
well, I can understand wanting to pick your battles.....but this is one I think I'd stick to my guns on. Once they get to be teenagers and they are know it alls you kind of have to step back and let them do their thing.....but not when they are so little.
Babies ae a different story,
Babies ae a different story, but some kids may be experiencing the natural consequences of their choices, despite a parent's best efforts to get the child to dress more appropriately. There is a school of thought that says that children WILL make ALL of the most important decisions of their lives, so that the best that we as parents can do, is to teach them to make good decisions. This starts by allowing the children to make decisions for themselves at a young age, provided that they are not endangering themselves or others. Some kids have to shiver through the day to realize that maybe mom had a good point! My 2nd grade niece was dropped off at school the other day in her pajamas because she refused to get dressed. Missing school is NOT an option, so she suffered the consequences of her choice (she even refused to dress in the car in the clothes that my sister brought along). Let me tell you, after her friends commented, she has been the first one dressed in the house every morning since! My 5 yr old son INSISTED on wearing a tuxedo to Kindergarten. I explained the reasons why I didn't think that it was a good idea, but he couldn't understand. So, after a day of the other kids asking him if he had a date, he chose, himself, to wear "regular" clothes. I don't know the reason why those kids had no jacket, but there are other possibilities than "self absorbed" parents. Perhaps they are experienced parents who are giving their kids first hand, personal, practical, life lessons in how to think ahead and accept advice. Maybe?
Oh and kind of a medical myth there on the colds...bacteria and viruses cause illnesses, not cold weather. Temperature change may give you a runny nose, but that's not a cold. I went through a whole NY winter with no more than a sweatshirt and didn't catch any more illnesses than average.
"Only a life lived for others, is the life worthwhile" - Albert Einstein
I respect your opinion - but
I respect your opinion - but I don't agree with that school of thought at all.
There is a time and a place for everything, and I don't think allowing your elementary school aged child go to school in pajamas or inappropriate clothing is good parenting.
Personally, i would not get any satisfaction of thinking of my son shivering his way through the day just to prove my point. He seems to have been able to understand the concept of "it's cold outside, so I need a jacket" for years.
hummm...
hummm...
"Only a life lived for others, is the life worthwhile" - Albert Einstein
Don't forget that some kids
Don't forget that some kids are more strong willed than others. Where one may grasp that it's cold I need a jacket another may not. My son (6th grade) HAD to have a dallas cowboys winter jacket, he begged for it. A boy at school made a comment about it and now he won't wear it. I make him put it on for his walk to school, which is at the end of our street. Just yesterday my husband was driving out of the drive way to go to the office and called me from his cell and ask me why I didn't make him wear his jacket this morning? I told him I did and that I watched him put it on. When my son got home from school I asked him about it and he said he took it off and put it in his backpak. Go Figure!
Elizabeth is a discussion leader for arizonamoms she writes about everything from her needing mommy advice to crazy and silly stuff that happens. She lives in the West Valley with her husband and 3 children.
My husband and I battle back
My husband and I battle back and forth (not physically, just playfully) about whether cold weather can give you a cold or not. I have heard that the weather itself "doesn't" but if you already have the bacteria or virus in your system, what the cold weather does is work hard to keep your body warm and your immune system then is neglected. This is when viruses & bacteria then "seize" the opportunity (if you will) and take over, thus getting sick.
That all makes sense and all, but seriously, if it wasn't cold to begin with, then all that wouldn't take place. HAHA.
Aymee C. Buckhannon
Independent Executive
http://www.GilbertMom.com
Actually, the change is
Actually, the change is weather (inhaling cold air, breathing extremely dry air, etc.) can affect your mucus causing a temporay runny nose or stuffiness. The attempts to deal with the runny nose or stuffiness with tissues, medicines, etc., may case nasal passway irritation, and sometimes slight bleeding. It's when your nasal membranes are inflamed, and irritated that a cold virus may be able to gain additional access to your system.
You can reduce the affects by limiting the use of the heater (home and car), using a humidifier, limiting you time outside in extreme cold (breathing in the cold air especially if you have reactive airway disease or asthma), limiting the use of antihistamines, etc. And of course, limiting your contact with others who may not take these steps. Also, many zinc lozenges have been shown to shorten the severity and duration of a cold, should it take hold.
"Only a life lived for others, is the life worthwhile" - Albert Einstein
I've seen that exact same
I've seen that exact same thing at my kid's school, not only without jackets but in pajamas or even a Batman costume. I figure the mom must have decided it was a battle that wasn't worth fighting that morning.
I saw the same thing at my
I saw the same thing at my son's school today - one little girl was in a tank top! she looked freezing. I completely agree about picking your battles but on the other hand, this shouldn't even be a battle. You just put your foot down on things that involve a child's well being. Our son might argue about wearing a jacket but in the end, he wears one and that's that.
Susie is a discussion leader in the east valley for arizonamoms.com. She has two sons, ages 6 and 2.
Agreed! Sometimes you just
Agreed! Sometimes you just need to tell them what's what.
I agree with you !!! I was
I agree with you !!! I was in a local Safeway and there was a mom in the store with a 4 day old baby. The baby only had a onesie on. Thats it !! I live in Northern Arizona. There is snow on the ground. I also see many kids without a jacket. Drives me crazy. I have three kids and they aren't allowed to walk out the door unless they are dressed appropriately.
What was that lady thinking?
What was that lady thinking?
There was a girl in my
There was a girl in my daughters preschool class a few mornings ago with just a tank top and I thought the same thing, are her parents insane?!?!?!
I agree & disagree with the above comment about letting children make their own decisions on things from an early age. I agree with that to some degree in regards to choosing your own battles, i.e. if your child wants to go to school dressed in a halloween costume or something out of the norm. However, I don't agree with it when it comes to dressing for the weather. YOU'RE the parent, they're not and when it comes to dressing for the weather you're responsible for your child and ensuring they have appropriate clothes to keep them warm, and vice versa .... you wouldn't send your child to school in a snow suit in the summer whether they were fighting you tooth and nail about it ... you put your foot down and you make the rules .... so I've got to wonder if that's your take on clothing .... if your child wants to eat a bowl of sugar for dinner every night and you've told him it's not good for him and will rot his teeth and give him a belly ache, but if he's still insistant would you let him .... just an analogy!!
right on....
right on....
Walking from the car to the
Walking from the car to the school for 2 minutes is not harmful to the child in any way. Of course, I would not permit my child to eat junk for a meal, because that can he hurtful to the child.
My point is simply that you don't know the reason why a child seems insufficiently dressed from your point of view, yet you are judging and condemming people.
Kids wear pajamas in school all the time - in my sons' school they do it on Fridays, every quarter. You're making too big a deal out of the pajama example.
The point is that we're not taking about snowy weather. We're talking about a couple of mornings of 55 degrees that warm up to 70 by recess, so many kids don't want to deal with jackets that they'll only use for a few minutes. Some of these posts act like the children are being mistreated because the kids choose to be chilly for a bit. This isn't hurting anyone, so why are you SO bothered by it?
I'm just so tired of "rants" which are really just nasty, whiney complaints that don't serve any purpose.
KD
"Only a life lived for others, is the life worthwhile" - Albert Einstein
Well, you are entitled to
Well, you are entitled to your opinion, obviously we disagree.
Regarding your closing comment - I don't think that your complaint post about why people don't rsvp to parties(which I see you have now edited to one line so people will no longer see your original complaints) was any more relevant or useful than this one.....nor do I think there is a requirement that everything posted here has to serve a purpose other than the expression of one's opinion.
KD -- That's the beauty of
KD -- That's the beauty of blogs. If you don't care for the topic, you have no obligation to read it -- let alone participate. Obviously, there are others who want to have this conversation.
Today, at noon, it was 56 degrees (I happened to have had a reason to check).
I have to totally agree with
I have to totally agree with you. Numerous times I have dropped my daughter off at morning care (at her school) and I watch other parents dropping their kids off in short, t-shirts and it's like 60 out side. Last weekend we went out for breakfast (husband, daughter and I ) and we say a baby wearing a long sleeve tee, those wal-mart $5 pants and NO socks w/ no jacket or hoodie or something. That's ridiculous. Parents need to clothe their children properly and if they are worried that they'll get hot, well then they can take off the jacket. I left for work this am and it was 34 out side, my daughter had a winter coat on with jeans and a long sleeve shirt underneath. My son was still at home and I flat out said, long sleeve shirt and your red jacket today.
"It's not to late to become who you've always wanted to be..."
A few years ago my son tried
A few years ago my son tried to wear shorts and a short sleeve shirt to school ~ and it was freezing. He said he didn't need a jacket. Well, he ended up being late for school over the whole issue and went to school in jeans and a long sleeve with a sweatshirt in the end. Since then, I have pulled my kids summer clothes out of their dresser drawers, put them in the large storage tubs, and out of their reach to be able to pull out these clothes. When it is appropiate to wear shorts and short sleeves again, then the tubs come back out for them to use.
But I completely agree with you!! And I feel horrible for the kids when the parent allows it. You know they go to school and just complain that they are cold.
As far as babies, I think I would be one to say something to someone not dressing their baby warm. That's horrible! Luckily, I have not come across someone with that much stupidity.
Its all just common sense, and as the parent you need to put your foot down as to what they wear ~ summer time as well.
I grew up in Colorado; it
I grew up in Colorado; it can be very sunny and still very cold. We had a thermometer outside the kitchen window. What we wore to school depended on the temperature.
I think that worked because it never occurred to us that Mom made up those rules. It was like wearing a nice dress (and a doilie on your head) when you went to Church; we were sure that was in the Bible somewhere.
Weve always done the
Weve always done the temperature thing as well. It's saved us many a headache, because though we can't control the weather, courtesy the thermometer, we can control the appropriateness of the costume (to some degree).
I agree about the baby -
I agree about the baby - they are too young to be putting up fights. But this is a fight I have had with my daughter for several years. She is a "hot body" apparently and doesn;t get as cold. I kept passing her the same line my mom used to pass me - "you'll get sick if you don't bundle up." Then one day an article ran in the paper about how you can't catch cold by not wearing a jacket when it's cold. She's still gloating, and I never bother her about the jacket anymore.
sure, fine, whatever
Don't forget that some kids
Don't forget that some kids are more strong willed than others. Where one may grasp that it's cold I need a jacket another may not. My son (6th grade) HAD to have a dallas cowboys winter jacket, he begged for it. A boy at school made a comment about it and now he won't wear it. I make him put it on for his walk to school, which is at the end of our street. Just yesterday my husband was driving out of the drive way to go to the office and called me from his cell and ask me why I didn't make him wear his jacket this morning? I told him I did and that I watched him put it on. When my son got home from school I asked him about it and he said he took it off and put it in his backpak. Go Figure!
Elizabeth is a discussion leader for arizonamoms she writes about everything from her needing mommy advice to crazy and silly stuff that happens. She lives in the West Valley with her husband and 3 children.
I'm always telling my 10 yr
I'm always telling my 10 yr old to grab a jacket/sweatshirt because he runs cold. Last week I said it several times when we were leaving and then again on the way out the door. After we got to the restaurant I said where's your jacket? "I forgot it" My response..."I don't want to hear one bit of complaining and your arms have to stay out of your shirt" (you know how they tuck them in to their sleeves, drives me nuts) "you will learn not to forget your jacket since you know the consequences now".
Granted if it were snowing or raining my response would be different.
I agree with optomist...and
I agree with optomist...and I agree that babies should be bundled. Though I have to say, it annoys me to no end to see infants all bundled up with socks and layers of clothes and blankets when its HOT out, too.
My 2 yo son HATES jackets. He cries, pulls and has a two year old temper tantrum over them. Sometimes I can get a sweatshirt on him, but not always. I have found that layering an undershirt and then a long sleeved shirt works, but I would still be cold out there in the morning for even a few minutes. However, he is also the one that sleeps without a blanket while the rest of us are in flannel pj's and flannel sheets.
Would I let him play at the park without a jacket? Probably not. But do I let him go jacket-less to run his sister into school? You bet. Its not worth the fight. When he gets cold enough, he'll wear his jacket - just like when kids are hungry enough, they will eat. I dont think we should be so quick to judge.
And I very much agree with the idea of getting the inappropriate clothing out of sight - I had to do that with both of my kids' sandals when it started getting cold!
I totally agree. However, I
I totally agree. However, I have a 8 year old. Defiant.
I will tell him over and over to put his jacket on.
He will argue. It is a batlle every morning.
Then I drop him at school, and I watch from a distance..he takes it off. I figure at this age..if he wants to be cold..that is his issue. He is old enough to know.
The more I "nag" the more he shuts me out.
This issue started this year. Doesn't want to wear clothes that "match" or comb his hair. Drives me nuts.
It just becomes a battle...that I cannot win. Hoping he will grow out of it.
So..maybe it really isn't the neglect of the parents.
I dont know how old these dids are that you see at the school. I certainly do not dress him in shorts in the winter.
Yikes! I feel like I've
Yikes! I feel like I've just been stoned by you all!
My son is 3 1/2, and has sensory processing disorder, as well as some other as yet to be determined develpmental disorder. His speech level is lower than many 2 year olds, and his comprehension of speech is also not always good. He absolutely can not stand wearing a jacket (or even a sweatshirt); it has to be lightweight, or he flips out. And though he's in occupational therapy (as well as speech therapy), we haven't yet figured out how to address this issue. Needless to say, when my husband takes our son to school in the mornings, there's never a jacket or sweatshirt involved. Just a long sleeve shirt, his pants, and shoes. He'll even shiver and say "I cold", but can't put that jacket on. On particularly cold mornings, my husband carries our son on the way into school with a blanket over him.
I have to say that it bothers me a great deal that there are people like some of you out there who are seeing my son with no coat, and judging us as parents without having a clue.
Well put! My son battles
Well put! My son battles sensory issues as well. Most of the light weight jackets are fleece which build up a lot of static and he absolutely can't take the "sound or feel of electrons jumping" as he removes the jacket in class. We've tried every option. A zip up sweatshirt works best, but the static is still an issue. For him, sitting there in school all morning, boiling hot, because he refuses to remove the jacket once it's on, was a worse option. I was also appalled at some of these responses, particularly the one who characterized the situation as "poor parenting"!
Women need to remember that even if they are THE best mother in the world, that they are an expert on THEIR child (ren) ONLY and other moms are the experts for the other children out there!
"Only a life lived for others, is the life worthwhile" - Albert Einstein