Passing on the love of Snow!

Snow days in the Midwest!! My husband asked why as adults we are still so excited when we get a snow day. At least when we can stay home with the kids and not have to drive to work.

I think it’s because when we were kids we made such great memories. I remember going sledding, building snow forts, snow ball fights, and my dad pulling us in the sled behind our horse. Those memories are what I want to give our children.

This is a photo of young Kristy building a snowman with my moms dog Toby.

Reality in the Midwest

If you live in the Midwest you know that snow is just a reality every year and it seems every year people are surprised when we get snow, ice storms, and cold weather. I don’t know about you, but in our house when a snow storm is coming we joke about the storm of the year every time. People seem to get really worried about being stuck inside for a day or two. I went to town yesterday with today having a forecast of snow, and the people I ran into kept saying “well you better do what you need to today because a big storm is come”… insert silent giggles from me.

So snow is a reality here in the Midwest and my family has embraced it. Now when we get to March and April we all want it to be gone, but that’s usually when we get at least 1 more storm.

I encourage you to embrace the snow, ice, and cold. If you don’t you will be miserable for at least 4 months of the year ,every year!!!Who wants that, not me!

Fun in the Cold

Some of the things we do with the kids in the winter are typically things we can do in small increments. We like to go out and play in the snow building snowmen, snow angels, pushing the snow around with toy trucks, snowball fights and of course sledding!!

My husband has taken over the tradition of pulling our kids (and sometimes me) behind the horse in the sled! This is one of my favorite memories as a kid! We have even pulled our kids around behind our Great Pyrenees! Yup leave it to my husband to come up with another fun way to play in the snow!

My son loves to eat snow… luckily he knows not eat the brown or yellow snow! He also loves to climb up snow piles and we play snow castle on them! This morning he took his dinosaur out to play with in the snow and he had a blast! SnowRex is what he called it!

Let imaginations run wild in the cold!

The trouble with kids in the Winter

“Mom I’m cold!! I want to go inside! Or I don’t want to go out its cold out there!!!”- my kids ever winter!

I understand that its cold outside, and we are not making them go out unless its safe, but cold weather is so good for our bodies and minds.

The trouble is getting them outside. We have so many fights getting them out the door and once we do, my husband and I take a deep breathe for a minute before we reset and go have fun outside. Most the time it’s a fight to come back inside too! Oh the joys!!! LOL

Some of the tactics we use are bribery (if you go outside without whining you can have hot cocoa when we come back in) , tell them how much fun we will have and what we will do outside, tell them we can play whatever game they want, promise them a push on the swing, and if nothing else works we say “because you need to go outside, its good for you”. You can always use the classic “Because I said so!”.

I’m not telling you its easy! It’s hard, and it takes forever to get all those stinking cloths on, and even longer when you turn around and they have taken them off again. Insert total frustration!!!!

But it is completely worth it, and you are doing something that is so good for your child even if you have to fight tooth and nail!

Parenting is not always about making the child happy, sometimes it making them do something they do not want to do at first, and building their experience knowledge to show them how much fun winter can be!

Research backs it

Did you know in some countries parents set their children out on the porch to nap. The fresh air is good for their lungs and this is said to help them get better sleep even in the cold. Now they don’t set them out there in freezing temperatures, I assume, but dressed warmly and snug in the pram(or baby stroller) the babies can really get some great fresh air away from the constant rebreathed air in the house.

It’s good for kids to not have to breath in the same air constantly especially when all others around are sick with viral respiratory illnesses. Letting your child go play outside with warm cloths on can help them strengthen their lungs, improve their immune systems, can help them develop more resistance to allergies, and help keep away illness from germs and bacteria that are more present indoors during the winter ,according to a paper from Pennsylvania Dept of Health in Jan 2017. It also states that kids who are active outside have the best overall health, and it really can stimulate their imagination. Kids can work on problem solving skills along with their imaginations by simply building a snowman.

So now what???

Get them outside!! I know not all parents like the cold,and if you really do not want to go out in the cold, well you should not live in the Midwest then! The reality is that for around 4 months out of the year it will be cold, snowy, icy and at times really unpleasant!

Let yourself find something in the winter that brings you and your children joy! It could be sledding, snowshoeing, playing in the snow, or whatever you can do in the cold that is fun!

I know as a parent its hard, but you can do it! Remember the childhood wonder of snow, and share that with your children. Whether you think winter is beautiful or not-

“He has made everything beautiful in its time.” – Ecclesiastes 3:11

-Kristy