Are we raising a generation of wimps?

 

It was pretty cold this morning.  It was 1 degree when we left for school.  We were on a two hour delay.  I have never been able to grasp the 2 hour delay for the cold.  If it is dark then I think it is a good decision.  Otherwise the temp is almost the same and the kids still wait outside, etc.  The concern I have always had is that some kids actually have more risk with the two hour delay as their parents have to leave for work and leave them home alone.  What happens if the bus doesn't come or they go out to early.  There are a lot of possibilities.  I don't make these decisions so I have to live with them.  Its scary to think I only have 6 more years to even care about this.

Of greater concern is that one of my kids had a basketball game tonight.  But, it was cancelled yesterday because of the cold tonight.  When we got the text message one of the parents wrote back and said, "are we playing the game outside".  That was my exact thought.  We could be playing basketball right now and it is 22 degrees.  I can not see any reason why this game would have been cancelled.  It is Jan in Indiana and it is cold outside.  There is no snow on the ground, there is no precipitation falling from the sky, so it clearly does not make sense.  This is why I continually find myself asking, "are we raising a generation of wimps?'.

Recently I made a remark on facebook with the same words and was land blasted!  I really about died with all of the negative comments.  I'm going to start sounding old with the comment, but in my day...we went to school.  No, we did not walk barefoot, or up hills both ways but we went to school in the cold.  As a teenager I had jobs and when the weather was bad my dad took me to work as I was an inexperienced driver.  I was taught that I had a responsibility and I needed to take care of it.  I went the college and I can not honestly tell you that IU was ever cancelled in my time there.  in 1994 Indianapolis had a lot of snow and it was well below 0 with wind chills deep into the negatives but nursing clinicals were not cancelled.  Why, because healthcare is not cancelled in bad weather.  When I was a young nurse working in Indianapolis in the winter I never missed worked for bad weather.   Sure some of you are thinking well that's not the same.  Well actually it is the same.  I learned responsibility and it stayed with me.

This morning my child asked why they didn't cancel school.  I asked why and he said well its cold.  He will never ask me that again as he received quite the lecture.  So child, when you are an adult and its cold what are you going to do?  Stay home?  He received quite an ear full and he gladly went to school on a 2 hour delay this morning with no further questions.

This is only one small thing but it's a symptom of a much bigger issue.  Our kids are becoming wimps.  Stop it with your children before its too late!

I know you have an opinion please share it.  If you don't agree with me I'm ok with that just tell me why you don't agree.