I sometimes wonder what other parents are thinking, or if they think about anyone but themselves.
The weather has turned chilly. Walking in to church yesterday, I couldn't help but notice the way others were dressed. I'm never surprised to see teenagers without jackets. But what amazes me is how many little children I see without them. One couple came out with their 3 little ones. Their oldest looked to be about 5. He was walking ahead of his parents, hurrying to their car. He had on short sleeves and pants. The two younger boys were dressed about the same but were probably 3 and 1, and were being carried by the parents. Both parents had on nice, long-sleeve clothing, and both were wearing winter jackets.
It wouldn't be so bad if they were just making a quick run to their car-but we go to a large church. You have to cross the street just to get to the parking lot. Then you often have quite a long walk to get out of the wind and cold to arrive at your nice warm car.
Or what about the parents who are warmly dressed, wearing coats, who walk outside with their baby girl. She is dressed adorably in a short-sleeve frilly dress, no shoes, socks or booties, no jacket, not even a blanket. Is it because they are warm, they figure their baby is too? And what about a hat for that bald head to keep out some of that bitter, cold wind?
I recognize that some parents are out to teach their children to make their own choices. I applaud them for this. That is an important thing for them to learn. I have tried to teach my children how to make good choices, instead of the old adage, "just do what I say." Yes, they need to be obedient, but if they never learn to make choices, life becomes very difficult when choices are thrown at them.
But at what age do you allow them to go out without a jacket when the temperature is below freezing? Will a 5 year old, who is busy playing inside his nice warm home really choose to put on a stuffy, hot jacket? What about the 3 and 1 year old? Did they have a choice? I know that nobody asked that baby if she wanted a blanket to wrap around her.
I guess it breaks my heart to see little children improperly dressed in cold weather.
I dropped 2 of my girls off at the bus stop just a few minutes ago. Before we left, I mentioned that it was going to be cold and windy today, with a high of almost 40 degrees. I expressed that if it was me, I would wear a jacket/coat. (Our home was nice and toasty, as I had turned up the heat last night.) My younger daughter obliged my thoughts by grabbing a coat. Her sister had a light jacket. She hates trying to stuff a big coat into her locker. She says it is difficult to get her books out each hour.
When we arrived at the bus stop, my younger daughter leaves her coat in the car. Her parting words were, "I don't need that." I looked up at the temperature. It was 24 degrees. C'est la vie.
