Parents that don't bundle up their children when neccesary!

[Scottish Joan]

One of things that saddens/upsets me as a parent is, when I am walking my little girl to School, there are lots of children that are outside with only t-shirts in temps as low as 0-2C (we haven't had anything above 3C yet despite being in April).

If temperature is as low as that then my girl is bundled up properly in order to stay warm, by "bundled up" I mean hat, gloves on and a jacket on and fully fastened up (zipped right to the top).

So, 2 questions.

1) Am I right in wanting my child bundled up that much?

2) Do you bundle your child up when temperature requires and if so, is it as much as I do (hat and gloves on and a jacket on and fully fastened)?

[linsaa fdc]

Hi ScottishJoan,
I agree, we are in Brisbane no where near as cold as you but in weather like today which is 19c .....that's cold for us.....and rainy some of my little Family Day Care children arrive in a t-shirt, bare feet, runny noses and coughs. I can't even imagine the weather being as cold as 0-2c and only wearing t-shirts. The funny thing is is that the parents are all bundled up. Hopefully your little one doesn't catch the colds and flu that the others must catch.
On a day like today in Brisbane I put socks and shoes, track pants, singlet or t shirt and a jumper on the children when going outside.

Linsaa fdc

[Lorina]

I'm all for bundling kids up! They need it, not just to keep warm but also to prevent from getting sick. In Sydney, it does get pretty cold during winter and I myself wear tights (under jeans), socks, 3 layers, thick jumper and a scarf. Some parents bring their child in just a t-shirt and a long sleeve top and the poor kids are freezing! Especially their nose and hands!! Within a week these kids get sick, come to the centre and get everyone else sick in the process. It's frustrating because the parents often say "well Bob doesn't want to wear it...". So what it's up to the child is it? A child knows the consequence of not keeping warm during the cold... Argh! You're right for wanting your child to keep warm, especially for outside! There is nothing wrong with what you're doing and I'll be doing the same thing as you!

,
Lorina

[Scottish Joan]

She does sometimes say "but mom, I want to leave my jacket open and hood down" but I either, let her go outside to see how cold it is or just do it up for her saying "its cold outside so you need your hood up and jacket fastened up". On the days that I let her go outside to see if she finds it cold, she more often than not says "I am fine" but she shivers so I then fasten the jacket and say "no its not, your shivering".

Linsaa, 19C, usually around Jan, Melbourne is roasting lol, I know that because I am a huge Tennis fan so watch Aus Open.

[linsaa fdc]

Hi Scottish Joan,
We haven't heard anything for a while, how is Rhona going with her jacket problem?
It's 16c here in the morning now, winter is here lol.
Linsaa fdc

[Scottish Joan]

Still not good .

She is still refusing to fasten the jacket and now starts crying and wriggling about when I end up fastening it.

The School also have trouble getting her to fasten it and want my help resolving that issue.

[linsaa fdc]

Oh no, you really have a job on your hands.
I wonder if something irritates her with the jacket done up, maybe the zip or the buttons annoy her?

[Scottish Joan]

I asked her to put on/fasten her jacket when she came out of school because it was raining and she came out of school with just a t-shirt on (her jumper was dirty and soaking) but a parent came up to me and said "why are you so fascinated about your daughter needing a coat on and done up?" so she decided to agree with the said parent so I am not happy with the parent and my daughter for arguing with me .

[Lorina]

Yeah I wouldn't be happy either if a parent interfered with my parenting! Now because of this particular parent you have to start with this issue all over again which you have been working so hard to try and succeed in! Even though, this parent interfered you stick it out! You make sure your daughter continues to follow your guidelines about wearing this jacket that you previously had...

Has the school said anything to you so far? What are they doing/saying to your daughter about this issue?

,
Lorina

[Scottish Joan]

School have been dealing with the issue in same way as me, put on and zip the jacket and put up the hood or else stay inside but that is mainly due to fact that they have a policy in place that states that on wet or windy days, ALL kids at the school MUST take their school issued jackets and wear them fully fastened in order to keep their school jumpers dry and clean.

I did speak to Rhona calmly when we got back in and again when daddy got home and we both explained that she has to follow what we tell her, not other kids/parents.

The most frustrating thing is, before this incident, she was following the rules very well so that she could get her treat at end of week so now I have a dilemma, do I punish her, I am tempted not to because it was another parent that ordered her to ignore me, but on the other hand, she followed someone elses order instead of mine.

[linsaa fdc]

Hi Scottish Joan,
Wow, it blows me away how random people think they have the right to but their noses in to where they don't belong.
It's good that the school has the same policy for the children wearing their jackets.
Linsaa fdc

[Scottish Joan]

Yep, I am still annoyed at this parent but didn't want to cause a scene/shouting match at gate but me and daddy have told Rhona that she must only obey me or school teacher and ignore others.

Poor girl was upset when she got home because a) she thought I was angry at her (which I wasn't) and b) she felt bad that she had ignored me.

Anyway, a couple of wee updates.

1) She is now getting up at 0745 but she takes a while to fully wake up, she gets up at 0750 but is still half asleep until about 0800/0810 so can get a bit narky for a while.

2) She has had a lot of treats because she has been putting on and doing up her jacket when asked, today was only a minor blip I hope.

[Lorina]

So, it seems like Rhona is able to follow the school policy just not yours... very frustrating! Besides what the other parent said, Rhona still chose to ignore you didn't she. After the parent put her 2 cents in at school on the way home I'm sure you told Rhona to put her jacket on which she still ignored. Since you've already spoken to Rhona about the incident just leave it and hopefully the next time will go better!

,
Lorina

[Scottish Joan]

So, it seems like Rhona is able to follow the school policy just not yours... very frustrating! Besides what the other parent said, Rhona still chose to ignore you didn't she. After the parent put her 2 cents in at school on the way home I'm sure you told Rhona to put her jacket on which she still ignored. Since you've already spoken to Rhona about the incident just leave it and hopefully the next time will go better!

,
Lorina

Yeah, I told her very firmly a couple of times to get her jacket on but she was to busy talking to her friends to even hear me say it the couple of times.

She was same today though , I asked her to put her jacket on before going out of the front door but she narked at me by moaning that "the other parent says that I don't need my jacket on so it stays off", so I was very firm with her and said "you either put on AND zip that jacket and until you do so, you don't get out that door and if that makes you late then so be it", Rhona thought I was joking though so ignored me but she quickly realised that I was serious so after 5mins, followed my order.

So, because of one parent, my girl now thinks that a) she can challenge my instructions and b) she doesn't need to wear a jacket.

What annoyed me even more was, the child of the parent that told Rhona to ignore me is 11yrs old so doesn't feel cold as much as Rhona who is 7. The parent had another child that was 4 and had only a t-shirt on and was crying and complaining that he was "cold" but parent just told him "shut up, you chose to leave your jacket at home so now you'll face consequence of that choice", I felt so sorry for that little boy .

[Lorina]

Seriously that parent has no right to question you while you are talking to your daughter! I still can't believe she butted in and said that. If she has the nerve to do it again make sure you address it then and there! Seriously, not on... How would she like it if you "parented" her little boy... They could of brought a jacket for him to wear home! Argh! Sometimes it's hard to swallow what we hear some parents say to their child....

,
Lorina

[Scottish Joan]

Seriously that parent has no right to question you while you are talking to your daughter! I still can't believe she butted in and said that. If she has the nerve to do it again make sure you address it then and there! Seriously, not on... How would she like it if you "parented" her little boy... They could of brought a jacket for him to wear home! Argh! Sometimes it's hard to swallow what we hear some parents say to their child....

,
Lorina

The parent lives just down the road from me so today I said to Rhona, "give your jacket to me for a few minutes, I know its pouring down with rain (as it has been for a few days now), you'll get your jacket on in a few minutes" and walked down the road to where this parent lives, handed jacket to Rhona and said "ok you can put it on now" which she did, I zipped it up for her though as I didn't want to be late, parent was leaving her house as soon as I handed the jacket to Rhona and said to me "when I saw her with no jacket I thought you had decided to agree with what I had said the other day but I was wrong", I then said to Rhona "were you cold without your jacket" to which she replied "yeah and also very wet" so my response to parent was "see, I knew my child didn't like being cold/soaking wet which is why I gave her the jacket so that makes me a GOOD PARENT" then I walked Rhona hand in hand to School.

The lady was in shock that I had answered her the way in which I did then handed her boy a jacket and said to him "that lady is right, I think you better take a jacket, Sophie go in and get Damien's jacket please", she came back outside with her jacket on and fastened and with her little brothers jacket which she put on and fastened for him.

When Rhona got to the school gate I turned round to leave when the 11yr old girl said to me "you were right what you said to my mum, she had no right to speak to you about your parenting, Rhona is such a nice/sweet girl".

[Lorina]

Good on you! You did the right thing! I bet it felt good to get that off your chest. I bet that's the last time she will say anything to you like that! Also, that parent's daughter is such a sweetie herself, telling you that her mum shouldn't have said that... That would of put a smile on your face!

,
Lorina

[linsaa fdc]

Yay....happy for you

[Scottish Joan]

I am so worried about kids not being bundled up that I will now even ask Rhona's friends to bundle up when they are at ours.

I am even contemplating becoming a volunteer/leader at Brownies for when they go off camping because I've had lots of parents of Rhona's Brownie friends complaining to me that their kids come home complaining about being cold/frozen whilst at camp, I just say "well, I hope Rhona isn't because I have specifically asked that Rhona has a hat on to protect her ears, gloves to protect her wee hands and a jacket on AND zipped to the top to protect her body" so if they aren't following that instruction (which they aren't, much to my annoyance and disgust) then I am going to become a volunteer, so I will check and make sure your child is warm.

[linsaa fdc]

Hi, I agree with you 100%. I had a new little girl start last june. Nearly 2 and always sick, coughing, runny nose. Mum arrives in the cold all rugged up and at 7am the girl comes bare feet and a tshirt. This year enough is enough. I said she has to wear a singlet+ shirt and have a jacket in her bag in case it gets cold so she can still play outside. I also wants socks on her feet at all times and shoes in her bag. Well mum has listened and she arrives at 7am as I require, but she puts it on her in the car before they come in, which menas she has been running around bare feet all morning. That is her business of coarse but when the little girl is giving everyone else in my care colds then it becomes my business. What annoys the hell out of me is that as soon as mum arrives at 4:30 to pick her up, the nearly 3 year old cries and carries on till mum lets her take off her socks and shirt, even though its winter now and its cold at that time. On friday I said, it has taken me all this time for her to not be sick and you shouldn't let her take it off because she whinges, and mum won't like it if I have to call her at work to pick her daughter up because she is sick again. It makes me mad, anyway that is my whinge for the day. I have just finished 5 hours of paperwork on a Sunday and am going to put my feet up because I start work at 5:30am tomorrow. Have a great week Scottish Joan. I will because I only have 5 more days then two weeks off.......yay.... I so so need it.
Linsaa fdc