Let's Talk About Snow Days
Do you love them or hate them? Plus: Is it OK to pay your kids to read?
On Tuesday, my kids had their first snow day of the season. (They had a weather-related delay about a month ago, but the kids insist that doesn’t count.) I am not a huge fan of snow in general — I love it for the first day or two, but not so much once it morphs into the grey goop that covers my car and ruins my rugs.
And snow days? Snow days are not my friend.
Maybe I’m just a joyless grinch. (I’m allowed; it’s January.) But I find snow days immensely stressful, because they always fall on days when I expect to be working. Inevitably, I’m trying to meet my deadlines while my kids are afoot and asking me to do things. On this particular snow day, we also had no heat in half the house, no internet, and no running water for parts of the day, which made it that much more of an, um, adventure.
Snow days can also be tough because they highlight discrepancies in — and assumptions about — household labor. The parent (often the mom) with the more flexible schedule is typically expected to stay home with the kids while the other parent goes off to work. The kids then blame the at-home parent for being “no fun” or “too busy” when they beg to go to the sledding hill or be driven to a friends’ house or make muffins or play cards and that parent says no. Yet they never seem to get mad at the parent who’s not even there.
What are your thoughts on snow days? If you love them, share the joy with us! If you despise them, tell us why. There are no right or wrong answers here — all thoughts and feelings are welcome!
Should You Pay Your Kids to Read?
And now for a Parenting Advice Hot Take!
Today I’m commenting on this Instagram post, which I’ve seen pop up in various places over the past few years:
Here are my thoughts.