MeanestMomInMidwest Posted October 20, 2008 Share Posted October 20, 2008 :lol::lol:You are funny.:D thank you!:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zelda Posted October 20, 2008 Share Posted October 20, 2008 What if the neighbor kid were playing at your house? This really isn't a huge deal to me, and I am sorry if it sounded that way. I simply had an eye-rolling moment and decided to post it. It did occur to me that my neighbor is also a homeschooler... Hopefully she is NOT a WTMer... :scared: (Stay tuned for the "My neighbor crabbed on an internet message board about how I dress my kids" post :lol:) :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted October 20, 2008 Share Posted October 20, 2008 No. I am totally unwilling to pay for treatment of frostbite that was 100% preventable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted October 20, 2008 Share Posted October 20, 2008 What if the neighbor kid were playing at your house? If they were just playing, it wouldn't bug me. I would assume the mother knew, and if the child was cold s/he could go home and change. If they were sledding or doing some other activity where I thought bare skin might be prone to injuries (I'm thinking more about friction burns than cold exposure here), I'd probably encourage them to go change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicole M Posted October 20, 2008 Share Posted October 20, 2008 No. I am totally unwilling to pay for treatment of frostbite that was 100% preventable. Ha! This reminds me of the time when my mother marched me down to the bike store to buy a helmet, when she discovered that my friends and I weren't just riding to the local park, but taking, oh, 20 - 30 mile rides. Naturally I protested that $40 was a lot of money to pay for a helmet (that was totally dorky and I did not want to wear). This was 1984 and NO ONE wore a helmet back then. My mother snorted and said, "Honey, I'd rather spend 40 bucks on a helmet than $4,000 on your funeral. You're wearing it." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yoda Posted October 20, 2008 Share Posted October 20, 2008 Very interesting debate, and one that I think is not as easy to answer as it seems. Typically I let my kids decide for themselves whether they are hot/cold and what to wear, but I do impose limits which definitely include long pants/snowsuits or sledding. I was reminded though of an experience we had this summer, where a son of friends of ours went fishing with us at the beach with his three year old. This is Alaska, so even being June, all the adults and all the kids were wearing fleece pants and jackets, some even hats etc., except the three year old, who was in shorts and t-shirt. Several times different people said something to the dad, to no effect. I really felt this was bordering on child abuse. At night the girl would walk around with blue lips, shivering. There were some other things I really didn't like about the situation, she would walk around by herself at 3:00 am, looking for food, wandering around at any time of the day and night by herself, near the ocean (not being able to swim) and once, I was just in time to pull her away from a car which was backing up, when she had been fascinated by the heat waves of the exhaust pipe and was reaching her hand toward it! Well the dad kept saying, she is tough, and this was a native family, so it is definitely a cultural thing as well. But then the accidental death ratio for native children is way higher than that for caucasians in Alaska. So it this child abuse, cultural differences, personal choice? I certainly don't have the answer. All I know is that I was bothered as well by how this child was treated, and I would be bothered by neighors such as yours as well. Marie-Louise Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HRAAB Posted October 20, 2008 Share Posted October 20, 2008 I just realized something. I pretty much let my kids dress themselves unless it is something totally inappropriate for the public. My girls have been seen in shorts during cold weather. And now I know why. Rebellion. Against my mom. Remember Ralphie's little brother in The Christmas Story. Yeah, that was me. Swore I would never do that to my kids. Janet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kris Posted October 20, 2008 Share Posted October 20, 2008 My son wore shorts to school every day one winter. It was infuriating. It was a toss up between "picking your battles" and "Hey! It's below freezing outside! What's *wrong* with you??!!" I finally decided to quit fighting it. He was wearing them outside while he was going to and from the school bus. But it was quite irritating. I only last year found out what was going on -- he wouldn't tell me at the time. Some kid at school had bet him five bucks he couldn't wear shorts to school through the winter. Sheesh. Even today he says, "Yeah, it was cold. But it was FIVE bucks!!" And yes -- he got paid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beansprouts Posted October 21, 2008 Author Share Posted October 21, 2008 Several times different people said something to the dad, to no effect. I really felt this was bordering on child abuse. At night the girl would walk around with blue lips, shivering. There were some other things I really didn't like about the situation, she would walk around by herself at 3:00 am, looking for food, wandering around at any time of the day and night by herself, near the ocean (not being able to swim) and once, I was just in time to pull her away from a car which was backing up, when she had been fascinated by the heat waves of the exhaust pipe and was reaching her hand toward it! Well the dad kept saying, she is tough, and this was a native family, so it is definitely a cultural thing as well. But then the accidental death ratio for native children is way higher than that for caucasians in Alaska. So it this child abuse, cultural differences, personal choice? I certainly don't have the answer. All I know is that I was bothered as well by how this child was treated, and I would be bothered by neighors such as yours as well. To my surburban American mind there are a lot of disturbing things about this story. People have called DCF over less. I just realized something. I pretty much let my kids dress themselves unless it is something totally inappropriate for the public. My girls have been seen in shorts during cold weather. And now I know why. Rebellion. Against my mom. Remember Ralphie's little brother in The Christmas Story. Yeah, that was me. Swore I would never do that to my kids. "Ralphie looked like a pimple that was about to pop!" "I can't put my arms down!" "Put them down when you get to school." I love that movie :lol: I only last year found out what was going on -- he wouldn't tell me at the time. Some kid at school had bet him five bucks he couldn't wear shorts to school through the winter. Sheesh. Even today he says, "Yeah, it was cold. But it was FIVE bucks!!" And yes -- he got paid. That is SO funny!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5knights3maidens Posted October 21, 2008 Share Posted October 21, 2008 My older boys do. Not that I like it, but they are old enough to know if they are to cold or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in Australia Posted October 21, 2008 Share Posted October 21, 2008 my boys wear shorts all year round. mind you, we don't have any snow, in fact the coldest we get is one day a year at -3oC. most of the winter is between 8-14 oC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crissy Posted October 21, 2008 Share Posted October 21, 2008 I figure if my son is cold, he'll put more clothes on. If he wants to wear shorts, that is up to him. Now, if he were sledding I would encourage him to put some pants on so that if we falls off the sled he wouldn't scrape up his skin. My son never wants to wear a coat either. I finally quit making him because I always ended up carrying it. :glare: :iagree: Jeffrey never wants to wear a coat, and he wears shorts long after *I* think the weather is too cold. But I finally realized that he wouldn't do either if *he* was uncomfortable. I don't want to be my grandmother, so I let it go and I allow my kids to dress themselves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mazakaal Posted October 21, 2008 Share Posted October 21, 2008 ...when it is 50F, 40F, or even 30F? What about when there is a foot of snow outside, and they have been invited to go sledding? My neighbor allows this, and it really irks me. ETA: For those coming in late and just reading the OP, this is a light-hearted thread. All who know me should realise that I approach issues with humor whenever possible. I haven't read the other responses. There are too many of them! But remember that a hundred years ago, boys always wore 'shorts' (trousers that only reached below the knee) all year long in any weather. They didn't get long trousers until a certain age (can't remember what age). So, though I let my dc wear shorts in cold weather, I don't really think it would hurt them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaik76 Posted October 21, 2008 Share Posted October 21, 2008 ...when it is 50F, 40F, or even 30F? What about when there is a foot of snow outside, and they have been invited to go sledding? My neighbor allows this, and it really irks me. ETA: For those coming in late and just reading the OP, this is a light-hearted thread. All who know me should realise that I approach issues with humor whenever possible. Yep, my ds was born in Mn. and likes to wear shorts all the time. Now, we do insist on pants for sledding:), but other than that, shorts are a go anytime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaik76 Posted October 21, 2008 Share Posted October 21, 2008 Often heard at our house, out of my husband's mouth: "Put on your coat, son. Your mother is cold.":lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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