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This is regarding my 5-year-old little sister Leah and her school friends that come to ours in the morning to walk to school with her.

When it's raining heavily which it can do a lot in Ireland, and especially now during the winter, I make sure that Leah is suitably dressed for the outdoor conditions, otherwise we do not go out the front door. My parents work so I'm responsible for my sister so before she goes out, I lay out all the gear on the fly then explain that our parents want her to stay warm. So, for going out in these conditions, she wears her waterproof jacket which we advise be fully zipped up plus she has to wear her hat or put the jacket hood up abd and also wear her gloves.

The issue I have with her friends is that, all they are provided with is their jackets which, again, we advise get fully fastened up with the hood up. On the way to school, the poor kids then complain that their hands are frozen which is so unfair on the kids.

I have brought up the issue with my parents and the other parents, but they just laugh at us. I've even had my parents threaten to not allow the kids to come to ours if they won't obey their rule.

So, during heavy rain and during the winter, how much do you bundle your kids/siblings?

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    Hi, welcome (though I think you have a few questions from a few years ago, not dissimilar topics actually, sounds like Ireland gets cold!). Can you clarify if you've attempted to bring this issue up with either your parents or the other kids' parents? – Joe♦ Jan 2 '19 at 20:03
  • Yes, I have with my parents and the other parents but to they just laugh at us, I've even had my parents threaten to not allow the kids to come to ours if they won't obey their rule. – Scottish Caitlyn Jan 2 '19 at 20:09
  • Its not a bad question, but I don't think it can really be answered since you are just a 3rd party in the matter. You've already raised the issue with your parents and theirs. Is there any reason you might suspect why they all laugh you off? – user20343 Jan 2 '19 at 22:49
  • I'm not really sure :(. But due to the fact that my parents say it's a rule, I just enforce it. My sister will happily zip her jacket without any protest. With her friends, I just do up the zip myself and explain that if they undo it, I will just keep on doing it back up until they realise I'm serious – Scottish Caitlyn Jan 2 '19 at 22:53
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You specified "unpleasant" weather, not dangerous weather.

Like you, my daughter is more concerned about the trivia of her little brother's safety. By the time kids are 5, if you bundle them up and they don't want to be bundled up, they will loosen and remove any unwanted clothing. Scarves, mittens, socks ... you name it. If they don't want to bundle up, and the weather is merely unpleasant rather than dangerous, a reminder and "no whining" rule will suffice. They do that a couple of times and get miserable and their complaints ignored, and they (normally) learn.

When I think of winter weather, I think of 40 degrees below zero, which is dangerous. When the weather is dangerous, strict enforcement is required.

Likewise, if she will be outside for a prolonged period of time, with no option to seek shelter, and hypothermia is a danger, strict enforcement is required.

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  • That's a good answer. Here in the UK we don't get cold weather except on very rare occasions (an extreme in the last 8 years was -20C) or up mountains. – Rory Alsop♦ Jan 6 '19 at 23:07
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    This! Actually, allowing children to make mistakes is an important part of growing up. Our task as parents / guardians is just to make sure the mistakes do not have critical consequences. – sleske Jan 7 '19 at 10:37

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