this past week 70 degrees temperatures provided the typical "this is why i live in san francisco" moment. i know my dear friends in detroit and toronto and new york are not having such moments. they are wearing overcoats and hats. the high school children in these colder locations are apparently not so into wearing appropriate winter gear. from the nytimes parenting blog:
JUST CHILL, DAD
By RANDY WEDIN
How cold is it? It’s so cold that my teenager wore a hat to school.
Here in Minnesota, in the suburbs of the Twin Cities, high school students choose their daily outfits very carefully. Many different factors can go into the decision-making process, but weather appropriateness is not one of them. For some reason, at my son’s high school, more than 90 percent of the students refuse to use their lockers. They insist on carrying all their books, supplies and outerwear around with them from class to class. Parkas, boots, mittens and snow pants just don’t figure into the fashion equation. (Maybe we should install space heaters in their backpacks and shoulder bags.)
Our educational system here in Minnesota (just like everywhere else) is becoming more and more cluttered with standards and assessments — for math, science, writing and reading. I’m tempted to start a citizens’ revolt to demand sartorial standards, too. (”The student will learn to observe the weather conditions, using electronic information or actual physical observations. The student will learn the properties of rain gear and cold weather gear. The student will choose the appropriate outerwear at least 70 percent of the time.”)
But since I can’t wait until the educational system does my parenting job for me, I have to draw the line somewhere, even with teenagers. It’s my moral, legal and paternal obligation. So here are my tough rules:
*My son can’t wear shorts when it’s below freezing (that’s 32 degrees Fahrenheit). Sometime in late fall, he has to switch to long pants or jeans.
*I insist on a hat when the wind-chill temperature drops into the frostbite zone — at -20 degrees or lower. At these temperatures, my childhood memories take over, and I can still hear my fifth-grade teacher, Mrs. Mathre, saying, “Wear your hat at recess. You lose two-thirds of your body heat through your head.”
*My rule for wet weather? Well, I gave up on that one. If they want to get soaked, suffer wet hair and wear soggy clothes all day, then go right ahead.
According to the National Weather Service Web site, this morning’s air temperature is -27 degrees Fahrenheit, and the wind chill temperature is -41 degrees. Scientific studies have shown that, in these conditions, exposed skin will begin to suffer frostbite in 10 minutes.
Just to put that amount of time in proper (teen) perspective — that’s about the time required to read seven status updates on Facebook, write four text messages or listen to three songs on an mp3 player. I would hope that frozen skin might be a disincentive for teenagers. But if that isn’t enough, they should also remember that those bitterly cold temperatures aren’t too good for cell phones, iPods and body piercings, either.
Maybe if I make a YouTube video about frostbite, set it to some hip-hop music and release it to the Internet, my teenager will finally get the message.
FULL STORY HERE
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