Shorts in Winter

Today parents posted an article about boys wearing shorts in winter a month or so ago and ran it again this week during the blizzard of 2016.

Having a third grade boy I know all too well the "shorts in winter" thing that's going on.  I used to always argue over what my son wears out of the house. After all,

I wanted him to dress like this:

And he prefers to dress like this:

Today we have 3 feet of snow on the ground and he went outside to walk the dog in shorts and his favorite soccer sneakers. I suggested he wear boots but he did not want to hear it.  

So what did I do?

I let him. 

 He would be outside for just about 5 minutes since our dog doesn't really like to go further than the driveway.  

After a few minutes my son came inside and said, "Mom, you were right. My feet are freezing."  

My four favorite words, "Mom, you were right."  

Later that day he wanted to play outside and without me having to say anything he put on snow pants and his winter boots.

This is how he went out later:

Given the opportunity to see for himself, he made the appropriate choice. Not because Mommy said so, but because he was cold when he did it his way.

Earlier this month I wrote an article for Identity Magazine on this very topic which came from my book "Lose that Mommy Guilt".  Here's my reasoning for allowing shorts in winter:

Some kids have strong opinions about what they wear. They have so little control over whet they eat, what they do in school, when they play, and when they go places that picking out clothes is a way for them to have some control over their environment and make their own choices.

So pick and chose your battles wisely and don’t get too hung up on the clothes. Frankly I think the concern is more about other people judging our parenting than it is about how cold our kids really are. Let it go.

Based on my experience, I believe the less of a big deal you make it, the more likely comfort will win out over fashion."

The more we allow our kids to make choices (within reason) the better choices they make. 

 Don't get too hung up on the shorts in the winter.  If you want more stories and tips you can purchase "Lose that Mommy Guilt, Tales and Tips from an Imperfect Mom" from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or ODP Kids Publishing.