NANA SAYS CANADIAN COLD WEATHER BRINGS SOME THINKING

Nana says the fun begins of bundling the little ones for the cold weather. That layer of snow pants and boots and hooded jackets makes the start to the day longer. Then finding the spots in the house to dry any wet clothing later in the day. Of course your teenagers think it's cool to leave a jacket unzipped and wear running shoes in the winter- hum! With the wind chill in our area, reminders about potential frost bite on our exposed skin. Then the dilemma- gloves versus mitts! Gloves can be prettier but mitts are warmer. Teach little children about the concept of layers. Putting some air between the layers of clothing allows the body's heat to keep us warm. Wearing mitts allows the fingers to move and keep warmer. hats or heads covered- teach 90% of the body heat can go out the head. So little one if your head is warm, you will be warmer. Easy! Adults need reminders too. The smart ones are already wearing appropriate clothing with reflectors- especially those who walk dogs at various hours of the day. Yes- the road safety. Teaching children and teenagers that cars can slide on slippery roads so keep your distance. For example, at an intersection waiting for a light, stand back from the street. Not every driver drives according to conditions and can wipe out very quickly on a turn. Even on my route to work on a secondary road with two corners, there are at least two accidents every winter with cars driving too fast and going off the road. I know when I cross in a crosswalk I have the right of way but teach your children to look for the driver's eyes. If the driver is not looking at you, the driver does not see you. So teach children not to step in front of any car unless the driver is aware. Winter safety is not much different than year round safety. At least the children are off their bikes. However you may get an argument as often adults are riding their bikes on icy, snowy streets. Many parts of the country have experienced bouts of snow and bad weather already. Southern Ontario usually does not get the real snow until December. However, it has arrived. At least we are not in Buffalo. I think they have had the worst storm so far for anyone this Fall. Actually the weather is cold but winter has not officially arrived even though it feels like it has. So it does feel more stressful currently with the new norm. With the hats, mitts and scarves, always remember to have more than one as we all know children misplace those items so often. If at school, visit the lost and found box often to find missing items. Oh winter!!