Teach, smeach. I was forced to wear bulky ski pants under my dresses and it brought me to tears some days. One of my friends used to take hers off on the bus, because she was an only child and nobody would tell. I, on the other hand, had younger siblings who were rewarded for reporting any signs of non-conformity. Above the age of 10, they were MY legs to freeze, or not. I'm 51 and still won't wear a coat unless I'm snowshoeing or otherwise planning to be outside for more than half an hour.

And those little snitches? All 4 were teen parents. I'm the only one who made it through high school. See how bitter I am? It's NOT worth the battle.

why not let the little dears wear shorts if they want to? in fact, insist upon it! a percentage of them will freeze and die a painful death and the next generation will be stronger.

survival of the fittest, I say! (and these dimwits are in no way among the mentally fit)

"I told her, 'I have to pick and choose my battles,'" recalled Jack's mom, Shelley Rogers Landes. "I need to let him make decisions that really are inconsequential at the end of day."

No. He is just a child. And you are the adult; The decision to dress warmly in 15 degree weather is most definitely not inconsequential! Are you kidding me? Just as a tidbit, pneumonia happens to be a leading cause of death among the old, the gravely ill, and...yes, children.

why is it "common sense" to put on all sorts of extra clothes for the 30-45 seconds between the car and the school building? Clothes that will be removed immediately once inside, and will probably be forgotten under a desk, in the cafeteria, or any other place the kid is for the next 6 hours.

I've been dressing this way since I was 12-13, I'm now 32, with a family, a house, kids, I graduated from college just fine... I've got all my fingers and toes... I'm an avid skier, I know what cold is, and I know how to dress for it. But the 30 seconds it takes to get from my car into my job does not count as cold. It is worth being cold for those 30 seconds to be comfortable all day long in the office (where it is normally 75-80 degrees all winter, and even a sweatshirt has me sweating and completely miserable). This was the same logic and common sense I used when I was a teenager and started dressing this way. I hated lugging a coat around all day in school. I hated being hot and sweaty all day in class with pants and a sweatshirt on. I think dressing "cooler" (not the slang meaning, I was actually cooler) helped me focus and perform better at school. I was less fidgety, less distracted, and at least 100% more comfortable.

There's nothing new under the sun. When I was a kid (I'm in my 50's) in Minnesota we did the same stupid thing. It's a passing whim and they will quit when they get attention and get cold enough. No big deal - chill out!

Err...these kids are not dashing from the car and into a building...they're playing out there, exposed to extreme weather. For heavens' sake!

Well...there's a couple of ways to look at this. Lower body temperature can compromise immunity and create an environment hospitable to cold and flu viruses. On the other hand, humans can become acclimated to cold through repeated exposure - I remember seeing a documentary about a woman who was able to swim the Bering Strait in a bikini after two years of exposure to cold led to development of a layer of subcutaneous fat (blubber) that insulated her against the frigid water. So - moms (especially of girls) - rest assured that your kids will develop a blubber layer too, and be protected. And make sure the girls know that too.

Personally, I make my kids dress appropriately for the weather with coats, gloves, etc., but I think it's a bit much to opine that going coatless leads to drug and alcohol abuse.

Gregorovich: I see prison in your child's future. His/her father was too controlling. Kidding!

Grego,

I have a feeling you don't have kids? I could be wrong, but how can you say just because a kid doesn't wear a coat in the winter he'll be drinking and drugging in the future? Really stupid comparison.

as someone who grew up dressing this way (since I was 12 or 13 I've been made fun of for wearing shorts in January), and who is now 32, successful, a college grad, with a family, and 2 kids of my own... I have to say you're crazy if you think wearing shorts in the winter leads to drug abuse.

I dressed this way because it was comfortable INSIDE the school for me. I don't know if with the budget cuts and all going on now if they've turned the thermostats down... but when I was in school it was like 75-80 in the school all winter. If I was in a sweatshirt I was sweating. I was uncomfortably hot. If I had a coat, and gloves, and whatever else people think kids "have to wear" I would invariably forget them in homeroom, or under the table in the cafeteria...

For me it had (and has, I still dress in shorts, t-shirts, and flip flops in January) nothing to do with being "cool" and everything to do with being comfortable. Inside buildings it is generally very warm in the winter. I'll take 30 seconds of cold between my car and a building in order to spend the next 8 hours comfortable.

I cannot believe that you would make the leap from coat-less to drug use. Have you thought that some people are just hot blooded and don't feel the cold like others? I have always taught my child that EVERYONE'S DIFFERENT and try to live by that obviously you don't believe in that.

My son's extremely hot-blooded and rarely wears his coat and if it's under 30 he'll even wear shorts to school. His father is the same way and has always worn shorts even when living in Ohio. Who am I to say "I don't care if you're hot wear your coat!" Although I'm sure you believe in the old wives-tale it's not true, being cold does NOT cause you to GET A COLD!!

The leap from coats to drugs isn't a great one. If you let your kids do whatever they want then they're going to make bad decisions. That's what most (not all but most) kids do. I have one child, she's 30. She's a college graduate and is currently employed and paying her own bills and doing fine.

I allowed her to make plenty of decisions and I taught her how to be resourceful and to get things done for herself. She's very independent. She was not, however, allowed to wear dangerously inappropriate clothing. That's just stupid.

You are smart and well balanced, Leener. We did this when I was a kid, and you are right, there are more important things to battle about. As long as their health and life aren't in danger, why fight about this issue?

Why fight about it? Because you are the parent.

I have a teenager, and I still think Leener's solution is good. As long as there are no health issues.

You are not in charge. And that includes of your senses.

you are deluded. You think you are still in charge? Please! You are NOT in charge. Your kid is in danger, maybe not now. but as he grows older he will be making bad decisions, taking unnecessary risks and maybe hurting himself in the process. It is the job of a parent to set rules based on common sense and see that those rules are enforced. I am sorry that you have abandoned your job as a parent and will one day suffer for it.

I was born and raised in Minnesota and anybody out in shorts and a t-shirt in the cold would have had everyone else looking at them like a dumb ass.

You just never know when something could happen, like breaking a leg or getting hit on the head and not being able to walk for a half an hour or more.

A car can easily run off the road and not be found for a day or more, so the thought of losing your child to hyperthermia just because they want to look cool is idiotic.

I now live in California but I can damn well guarantee that any day of the week, you'll find a pillow, blankets, thick socks, water, canned soup and flashlights in my Explorer. I learned my survival lessons well and have NEVER forgotten them.

And you guys are letting kids play out in the snow wearing shorts and t-shirts?

liz you're crazy...

So as the parent you just pick fights with your kids for no other reason than "you're the parent"? That philosophy is going to get you far. Watch out when your kids are 17-18.. they'll be leaving that oppressive regime for a girl/boyfriends apt as soon as they can.

What Leener said is very applicable and smart I think. I grew up dressing this way. Not to be "cool" to my friends, but because inside the school it was like 80 degrees.. if I was wearing pants and a sweatshirt even, I was sweating. I would be completely uncomfortable, fidgety, and wouldn't be able to focus. It was an easy sacrifice for me to make to be "cold" for 30-45 seconds between the car and the school building in order for me to be comfortable all day long at school. (Not to mention I stopped forgetting coats under desks, which made my mom happy).

When I was doing this 18-20 years ago it wasn't "cool" people made fun of me all the time, but, it worked for me. I graduated high school, graduated college, and am very happy my mom didn't take your line of reasoning.

I've been wearing shorts, sneakers, and no coat for over twenty years. No frostbite ever. Not even close. If I'm going sledding or playing in the snow then I dress for the occasion. Getting on a school bus, dashing to the car, running into the mall, walking into work, none of those situations are frostbite inducing. Most folks here are interpreting the article to mean that kids are playing in 15 degrees out in the snow with shorts. What they are talking about is kids hopping off the bus or being IN school. And last I checked there have been NO onslaughts of frostbite due to kids playing outside in the snow. I've shoveled the driveway in shorts many times because it's WORK, working that hard keeps most anyone physically healthy pretty darned warm. My kids went sledding two days ago and although they started off with five layers, at the end of the afternoon they were all wearing show pants and tshirts. The hats, gloves, scarves, coats, vests, hoodies and all were in a HUGE pile in the back of the car. They were VERY warm because they were moving around. I'm still waiting to hear about the abundance of frostbite cases anywhere.

@Lou - "you are deluded. You think you are still in charge?"

Easy to make a kid, isn't it? Easier and lazier not to want to raise them.

Lindav, I do the same thing. I got stuck behind a hostage situation on a highway in the winter for over 8 hours one year. They were diverting everyone from about 1/2 mile behind me, but the cops had the exit blocked off ahead.

After that: almost running out of gas, no water, freezing....I keep at least one fleece blanket in the trunk, some water, and something to eat at all times. It only takes once to learn the hard way.

These parents are absolutely ridiculous. Growing up, we learned, if it was cold, you dressed for it. If you got cold it was your own fault. But you were expected to take things into account. Also, we were raised that what we got to wear was to be sturdy and to last, not necessarily to be fashionable. That has kept me to this day. I don't buy trendy stuff. I buy things that are going to last. When I have kids, it's going to be the same way. And what I say goes, period.

Hello yakazama - how many kids you got smug boy?

yakazama likes to pontificate then run away......

sjm.... Oh. WHEN you have kids..... got it all figured out now though eh for sure....

Do "things that last" cost less now days?

Presuming you even do ever have kids, you'll face a whole new meaning of "hostage situation"..

No, they don't cost less when you account for inflation, but they will last more than one season. I knew, growing up in a lower income family, that we weren't getting the trendy things because they tended to cost more.

My brother is doing just fine raising his 4 kids, three of them teenagers, the same way we were raised. If they want the trendy stuff, they have to pay with their own money. They know that what him and my sister-in-law says goes, no questions. If they don't do it, there's hell to pay. Overall, 4 very well behaved kids. Some problems like every kid, but not nearly the extent that some families have.

This BS about picking your battles is assinine. You're the parent, then parent.

As for your "hostage situation" comment, it starts early. If the kids know that you are the one in charge, then aside from the normal boundary pushing that comes with having kids, if you stick with your decisions, they should grow up learning the proper things.

Of course, I meant to write "affectionately". Same sentiments, anyway.

That many suffering from frostbite?

We had big lockers when I was a kid, and we still did this. I'm 49, so I don't think this is just "becoming" cool. It was always cool. We just didn't have round the clock cable news or internet to spread stories like this around so fast. Of course, I grew up in New York City, not Alaska, but believe me, it got cold enough that if we went to school without our coat one day, and were cold, we took our coat the next day without our parents telling us to!

"Don't forget" is correct! Parents, ASK your kids (especially high school) what they need to do with those coats! Our school also has very small and narrow lockers -- hardly space for anything.

In addition, many schools have implemented policies that forbid wearing coats, hats, gloves, etc. inside the building. So what's a kid do do?

Where we are from, most kids drive to and from school -- a few take the bus -- but generally they are not outside. If they have a coat, they leave it in the car. Most NEVER go outside the entire day.

Yeah -- if the kids are out playing in the snow, have a long walk or must wait for a bus -- they dress for it. If they are on their way to school, outside for only a few minutes -- all those coats, hats, gloves, etc. may be impractical.

Try a conversation with your kids about it instead of a demand for obedience. It won't make you less of a parent.

I don't agree! My parents were not lazy, and I still did this. I would take the coat off when I left the house after they forced me to wear it. Also, tweens and teens are so active, and their hormones are up and down, so, believe it or not, they are sometimes hot when you think they should be cold like you are. Like I said in my previous post, if we got cold, we took the coat the next day, no arguments!

LOL! Mine does too! Yeah, I'm a woman! Everyone thinks my name is Evan. How do they know it's not Eva? No, my screen name came from two cute hamsters my kids had, Evan and Usk. Yeah, sometimes men are hot-blooded, so let him take his coat off!

Not just men. I hate coats too and won't wear them unless I'm going to be outside for an extended period. Just going back and forth to work? Nope.

My husband used to say that the only reason he would put on long pants was if there was snow on the ground. I always thought he was crazy, but he put out a ton of body heat and it really never seemed to bother him. I keep my bedroom window open until it gets down into the 20's, because I get so hot sleeping next to him that I am constantly sticking my feet out of the covers to cool off.

if you cave on one issue, kids will see it as a weakness and you have no leg to stand on for the "bigger" issue. They perceive it as they can do as they want so sex, drugs and alcohol aren't issue. They will do it because you have shown you will cave in if they persist. It is not a fight if I say No and stand by it.

Mine are 25 and 18 and I have had no problems with them as far as sex, drugs and alcohol are concerned, so, you do it your way. I know what worked for me :)

GIF:

I disagree. I believe that parenting is about guiding your children to independence. A child who is strong willed is far less likely to give into peer pressure than one who is 'broken down' to obey. I will battle over running into the street, drugs, reckless and endangering behavior (like sub zero weather..age appropriate), but I will not make a stand over an issue just beacuse I am the "parent" and "I said so". Bully your kids into being uncool in a situation where they know there is no real danger and you will have a recipe for a child who will cave in to their peers too.

But see -- it doesn't have to be a matter of "caving". Caving is setting a rule and then giving in because you don't want to follow through with enforcing the rule. This is a matter of deciding which things are important enough to dictate to your kids what they must do and figuring out which decisions they can make for themselves based on their age and maturity and the situation at hand. It's way more difficult to let them do things that make you cringe than to be a dictator over every detail of their life.

I am all for creating a culture of compliance with adult authority in general, but I don't see this as something that I need to be in charge of for my children in the situation we live in. They can make the choice if the additional comfort of the coat is worth the hassle of keeping track of it.

You lose credibility on the big things when you try to micro-manage the little things. But everyone has different opinions on what the "big" things are. I personally think it's way more important for my kids to get adequate sleep than if they wear a coat most days, but lots of parents would accuse me of micro-managing my kids by insisting they turn off the tv, stop texting/electronics, and go to bed at a certain time. Even some parents that force their kids to wear a coat!

We had this problem with my youngest son (11) last winter, so I made him walk the 1 1/2 miles home every day. He now wears proper winter clothes (actually never takes off his hat unless it's in school or at the dinner table!) While I am comfortable at lower temperatures in lighter shirts and jackets, my wife is freezing at anything under 65. My 2 sons take after me, while our 2 daughters take after Mom. Now, my older son is in school in the Adirondacks in N.Y. state, and he has REALLY learned the value of dressing properly.

Getting sick from cold weather is an old wives tale. You get sick from a virus. You get cold from being cold. Now, of course if the weather is severe, you can get frostbite, hypothermia, etc. But mostly, you just get cold.

wrong ... when your core temp drops a lot of issues begin to take place, primarily stress which could lower your immune system and makes viral invasions more likely.

True Jake, but it is not like going outside for 10 to 15 minutes affects your core body temperature by much. That would take a lot longer.

For the most part, unless under extreme conditions and time, going outside in the cold without proper clothing does not make you sick. The whole cold making you sick tale started because people are more sick in the winter due to being close to other people by staying indoors.

Jake - you said it yourself VIRAL INVASIONS.

I repeat cold will not make you sick.

Pith Helmet is correct.

If you find yourself shivering violently, your core temp is dropping and you need to get warm. If the kid is outside shivering violently, get him a jacket and some shelter and warmth. Unless the kid is extremely stupid, he or she will not need to be told to put on a jacket in those circumstances.

IM not arguing .. I grew up in the Seattle area .. in the 60's and Mom sent us outside almost year round in T shirts and cut offs ... to play in the muddy world that is the great NW 9 months outa the year ... 50 degrees and rain ... less clothes to go in the laundary. Active kids do burn calories faster than us ol fat adults. The pic of the kid in shorts on top of the snow pile I think is a lil extreme. If the lil tikes lips are blue and he is shivering ... warm em up. just saying that Hypotherma kills. As a parent I'd be more worried about hookie boggin and walkin on ice.

Since when did an adult berating a kid and slamming a door in his face become "right"? I understand your reasoning, just not your reaction. You may think you are teaching your kids right and wrong, but it sounds more like you are teaching them wrong and less wrong. What is the point of trying to raise good kids if you send them out into the world with bad manners? Believe me, no schmuck with his pants around his knees would be allowed to date my daughter either, but I think there are better ways to achieve the same result without being a first class jerk.

Perhaps from now on you should require your children to bring prospective dates over to your house for an initial meeting before the first date (not on the night of), then you can make your ground rules clear without embarrassing a young guy who was probably trying to look cool to impress your daughter. It wouldn't hurt to share your ground rules and feelings with your daughter too, so that she can inform guys that if they want to make it past the threshold, they need to dress appropriately.

We need more parents like you, GIF-St. Louis! Part of the reason we're in the jackpot like we are as a society is because the lack of leadership and respect. I tell my three, I'll be your friend when you are parents yourselves!

GIF St-Louis, Kudos to you to being a parent that commands respect! We as a society would not be in the jackpot that we are if we showed our children through leadership and authority! I tell my three (24,21 & 17) that when they start paying their own way, they're free to run out and make snow angels in their bathing suits.

Good parenting, GIF St-Louis! We as a society wouldn't be in the jack pot that we're in if we commanded respect! I tell my three (24,21 & 17) that I'll be your friend when you have children of your own.

When they're paying their own bills, they can go out into the subzero temperatures in their bathing suits.

Gif...as soon as he picked up your daughter...he changed and they went off to do a lot of things you don't approve of. Your 'strong parenting' only means...hide it from Dad. Pick you battles means determining what is really important to fight for. As everything seems really important to you, then you are just picking all the battles. I prefer to use my parenting influence where it will do the most good, not where I will get a pat on the back from other narrow minded individuals. Deceive yourself if you must...but your teenager, nor her freinds will have any respect for you if you behave like that.

GIF, my St. Louis pal. Stick to your guns. Do not relax your iron rule at any price. And don't expect to have kids who want to hang out with you once they're out of the house. Sure, you need to be in charge. But pick your battles if you want to win the war. Outward appearance doesn't matter a rat's ass until you get to know the person beneath the sideways cap.

Lighten up emm305! We're talking about tweens and teens, not 3 year olds here. You make them wear their coat to school, and they take it off as soon as they're out the door anyway. When they get cold, they'll put it back on, or if they didn't take it with them, they'll take it the next day for sure! You can't hang over a kid that age. You're not always with them like when they're young, and they have to learn how to be sensible on their own or they grow up to be mindless, overly dependent twits!

My kid is on a crew at a university, but our rivers are frozen over just now. Since she's a coxswain, she actually does get to wear gloves. The crew spends many hours indoors at the ergs in the winter. Around here, cross-country skiing is very popular, most skiiers go out in sweaters, not jackets. They work so hard at those skiis, that they would sweat--and then freeze--in heavy jackets.

Guess what: 40 degrees is not cold! It's impossible to get frostbite at that temperature, and you won't go hypothermic unless you're immersed in water or infirm. And when you're active playing or doing sports, that temperature is too warm for a coat. When I was growing up, 40 degrees was the limit at which we were allowed to wear shorts and T-shirts while playing outside. On mild sunny winter days we would check that thermometer every 10 minutes, and then ditch out sweaters as soon as it hit 40.

Even now, when I go skating outdoors, at 30 degrees I wear a Drytek base layer, my racing suit (spandex), my helmet and my kevlar gloves. At 20 I'll add a windbreaker and ear grips. I won't put on a coat unless it goes below 0 F.

Wow! A bit self-righteous, don't you think? I can't believe that you and others on this forum are judging parents on such a stupid issue. The lack of logic used to come to your conclusion of "lazy parenting" is astounding. Because some choose to let their kids wear shorts when it's cold outside??? Really???? That's a barometer of parenting??