Frigid winds and little digits

This post is written in haste because I am so frustrated at other parents.  So-I may or may not make sense.  Consider yourself warned.

This morning, in my little piece of heaven, it is frigid.  Single digits abound and wind chills are even lower.  As we are getting ready to climb in the car I remind my boys of the cold and that they have a responsibility to take care of themselves.  I have provided them with coats, hats. gloves, snow pants and boots to protect their little beings and I fully expect them to use those tools of warmth.

Now, this lecture came on the tails of talk last night at bedtime about how cold it was to be tomorrow and how much DadOfAllTrades was going to have to protect his body while working outside.  This was not the first time that LegoMaster and Buzz have heard about dressing appropriately for the weather.  I have discussed this ad nauseum before this date-mostly to Buzz who insists upon wearing snow boots all year round.  I have pleasantly asked him to change in to more appropriate footwear, not only because he will be  hot, but how in the world will I get sand out of fleecey insides of boot linings?? (I usually have to throw his snow boots out each fall because they reek, just FYI about his decision making processes and why I have to talk about this ALL THE TIME.)

SO, we get in the car fully bundled.  "Where so we put our hats and gloves when we take them off?"  "In our bags (monotone)"  "Where so we put our snow pants when we take them off?" "In our bags or hooks (monotone)"  Boring, but my responsibility as a parent.  They are seven and five, for crying out loud, and will choose the path of least resistance unless I guide them.

We step out of the car and look straight at two boys who are not only without hat and gloves, but their coats are not zipped and are hanging off their shoulders so that their t-shirts are clearly visible.  Goodness-it is ZERO degrees.  You couldn't feel the cold when you put your kids in the car??  You couldn't ask them to zip when you pulled in the driveway of the school?  You couldn't refuse to get out of the car until all hats were in place and all fingers were loaded in gloves??  Or at least send them back to their rooms to get a sweatshirt??

"Why don't they have to wear hats?"  I hear.  As a mom I wanted to say, very loudly, that we need to take care of ourselves and it doesn't matter what others do.  But I bent down and talked directly to my son and reminded him of this.

Please, moms, take care of your kids.  For they are young and, flat out, do not know how.  They need to be told and reminded and reminded again.  They will rebel and you need to be persistent.  If we do not take care of the "little" or "easy" self care things, we will not be able to help them with the harder things.  Those self care choices like sex, drug taking, smoking, exercising, healthy eating.  I am not saying their little beings need to be saint-like in their actions.  I am saying that they need to see how to take care of themselves so they can make an informed decision later in life as an adult.

And for cripes sake-YOU ARE THE ADULT!!  You are in charge.  And if you aren't in your own home, then change your actions so that you are.  If they refuse to do something as simple as putting on a hat now, what is your life going to be like when you give them a curfew??  Think about that.

I am done.  I think.....