Snow Daaaaaay! As a kid, I’d wait with baited breath for that announcement at the sign of the first snowflake. Once I had a kid, I learned the truth: snow days are the worst. Not only is it a hardship for us if schools close because of the weather, since my husband and I both work full-time, but trying to have fun in the snow as a parent can be the coldest version of hell. It’s wet, freezing, and no, I don’t want to build a snowman.
I have to pull it together when my kids start bouncing off the walls in excitement. Snow in New York, where we live, doesn’t stay clean for longer than a minute, and quickly morphs to slush, so there’s a narrow window to get out and frolic in the fresh powder. While it’s lifesaving to get the kids out, playing in, and eventually becoming exhausted by the snow, getting kids dressed for snow can be a traumatic experience. For everyone.
As we hunker down for a blizzard to descend upon us on the east coast, our preparedness shouldn’t be limited to stocking the fridge and loading up on batteries. We need to brace ourselves for the emotional rollercoaster of snowsuit season. I'm taking a deep breath, readying myself for the eight stages of dressing my children to play in the snow: