No Bad Weather: Going Outside in the Winter

I was a summer baby, and three of my four kids were born in the warmer months. I have never gotten over the fact that summer eventually ends and turns into short, cold days for months on end. I’m from Maine, you see. “Winter” up there is a shockingly dramatic yearly lifestyle change, as well as two of the three other seasons: “blistering cold and wet” (fall) and “mud season” (spring). Halloween for a kid in northern New England is a bit anticlimactic, since, unless you’re dressed as Chewbacca or a Teletubby, you’ll have to wear a ski parka over your costume anyways. Even after relocating to Virginia with her much milder winters, I’ve never forgiven mother nature for taking away my long, blissful days of summer. And she does it every year; so rude. 

This year, however, I decided I was tired of spending half the year longing for the other half of the year. Just like I love my friends and family, especially my little ones, with all their imperfections and quirks, could I learn to let go of my resentment of winter and just accept her for what she is? My kids and I embarked on this experiment with some very bundled-up walks in the jogging stroller (no jogging required) and lots of frigid puddle jumping. We have put some miles on our bikes and scooters as well as visited deserted playgrounds. Sometimes I wrap my toddlers in blankets, and we go eat snacks on the screen porch. I’ve realized that it’s not necessarily winter that I disliked; it was the monotony of being trapped indoors. The revelation is that this was an entirely self-imposed suffering. 

The unexpected bonus from my little experiment is that my kids are benefitting even more than I am. There is something about going outside that creates more resilient kids in a broader way. Resilience is a skill that can be learned. It has numerous health benefits and can even lengthen your life. In this situation, they are learning not to wait until the weather (or any situation) is perfect, but instead to value and enjoy things for what they are; to experience them in the moment. Just because something isn’t ideal or easy doesn’t mean it’s not worthwhile. I clearly needed that reminder myself. 

As they say in Norway, there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes!