Why is it that kids don't wear warm winter clothes when they go outside anymore?
Remember the scene in A Christmas Story when it takes the mother a half hour to get the kid brother ready to go outside? And when she's finished, he can't even walk or bend? This is truly the way it was!!!
I have distinct memories of taking great pains (literally) to get ready to go outside in the winter to get on the bus to go to school. Hat. Coat. Gloves. Scarf. Boots. Sometimes complete head to toe snowsuits. We'd put this stuff on several times a day as well when leaving home, going out to recess, going out to play during lunch, leaving school to go home, and sometimes putting it on at home to go outside to play or work.
And the boots were the worst. They were over boots that had to put on over shoes. You had to cram your shoes into the boot and then pull your shoe out of the boot when you wanted to put it back on. The invention of Moon Boots was heaven sent! No outer boat, no inner shoe - it was all just one piece! Who ever invited this concept deserves to be a millionaire.
But I digress...
Why don't a bunch of kids nowadays wear warm clothes in the winter? Like today for instance. I saw two kids on campus wearing SHORTS and flip flops. It was snowing like crazy and they were in summer wear. Many were wearing a sweat shirt, jeans, tennis shoes, nothing on their heads and no gloves.
When my kids were growing up (especially Andy) they would routinely leave home headed for school in a tee shirt. In the WINTER. Given, the school was close, but not that close. I would yell my obligatory "Wear a coat, it's winter outside!" which would be promptly ignored. I see kids in the neighborhood walking to school all the time in summer wear and no coats.
I don't get it. It must have something to do with supposed coolness (and I don't mean that literally.) What gives?
8 comments:
First off those kids on campus are from California and are in denial that winter exists.
I usually bring the bare minimum to keep myself warm since it's too annoying to put on the whole scarf/coat/gloves/hat thing.
And who the crap has ever heard of outer boots?
They had lots of good names like: over shoes, galoshes and rubbers...seriously :) Just google those names and you'll see what I mean. They also came with these cool rubber band/button like closure thingers.
I think I'm one of those people you are talking about. I'll run to Macey's in my tee shirt and crocs. I try to remember to put the kids in jackets. Kid, am I awful? I just hate the mess of snow clothes, so I hate when my kids ask to go out in it.
Oh my gosh...I had forgotten about those awful boots. I remember those rubber things that folded over and hooked with the stretchy button thing. I think mine were red. The worst was when your shoe was a little wet, making it almost impossible to slide it in against the rubber boot and they were always too small because you didn't think to try last years on until it actually snowed. Thanks for the memories. I do love my slip on boots that zip right up.
When the four of us would come back in from playing outside there would be a HUGE pile of mittens, hats, scarves, coats, sweaters and boots dropped in various piles around the house. They would dry off just in time for us to start the process again. Thanks for the fun post....
Good post, Vonnie! I don't much care to bundle up too much in the winter, since it's kind of a pain, and since I tend to go from car to heated building to car back to heated home. I do bundle up for exercising, though, and for sledding.
As a kid, my mom, ever vigilant, made me wear rubber galoshes over my shoes. It was the most uncool thing ever, so I got smart and hid the galoshes by a neighbors place, then put them on again while trudging home.
That is so true! Kids just done bundle up now-a-days like we used to! I think it's more about being "cool" than it is not wanting to be bothered. Crazy! Loved all the old pictures!
I am baffled by this as well. I shake my head as I bundle up to take my son to MT. View in the cold, frosty morning and he's shivering from cold because he's in his shirt sleeves! However, I can remember wearing cut-offs and sandals to a high school football game in the snow. I froze my tootsies off but was none-the-less "cool"!
I am totally bugged by seeing kids in shorts during winter, but agree that it is just their attempt to be cool- literally and figuratively- that drives the need to be underclothed.
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