During the long, cold winter months when the clouds are hovering overhead and everyone is getting the winter blahs is when we all find ourselves going crazy with the kids running through the house, expending unlimited amounts of stored energy that, if it were summer, would have been thoroughly exhausted with outdoor play. Unfortunately, for some reason, during the winter months we tend to keep ourselves and our kids locked away indoors.
This is when we should be going outside and letting the kids play. I don’t know why we all seem to think a little cold air will cause our children to be stricken by some deadly, chronic illness for which there is no cure. The fact is the fresh, cold air is good for them. Of course, you don’t want to take them out there and try to play in sub-zero temperatures, but there’s nothing wrong with a good healthy snowball fight or romp in the snow making snow angels when the temperature rises above freezing.
Contrary to what most people think, the cold air does not make you sick. We all get the sniffles from someone else who has the sniffles. For safety’s sake and to prevent frostbite, you do need to take some precautions such as wearing heavy socks and snow boots and dressing in layers. If your child or you already has the sniffles, you may want to stay indoors until it passes because the cold air can complicate your symptoms. For instance, if you have a cough, breathing in the cold air can cause your cough to worsen.
If you are stuck inside because of the freezing temps outside, try to break away from the winter rut by reading aloud to your kids, making brownies, playing with clay or any other activity that you don’t do on a daily basis. Give yourself a mental break, too. Take the kids’ nap time for yourself and allow yourself a little luxury. Take a bubble bath or give yourself a pedicure. What better time to soak those tired tootsies in warm water than the winter time?