While the snow here in the Midwest has brought us flocks of migratory birds, the snow on the East Coast has delivered a few unwelcome visitors to families in Prince William County: their own children. Parents are described as "imprisoned" and "frustrated." The children are restless, and getting bored. One reports missing school. After all, she wants to see her friends (not learn, she made that point clear).Parents have overseen the controlled madness by partnering with friends to alternate days they watch each other's kids. Some who had scheduled midweek days off--precious days to take care of errands, repair stuff, be an adult--saw those hours transformed into babysitting.Errands, repairs and "being an adult" all score higher than the gift of parenthood? I'm sorry, it isn't parenthood, is it? It is babysitting.
After all, it isn't so often that parents have to do something so extraordinary as spend time with their offspring. Imagine the horror of a weekend with no relief in sight. No matter the forecast, Monday is Presidents' Day and there will be no school.
Our schools are a mess because parents have their priorities confused. And I'm sure that these sorts of sentiments will go further to drive universal preschool in this country than any other movement
Just a suggestion, from one mom to another: running errands with kids in tow can be an intimidating experience at first, but with a little patience and a little sense of humor, those errands can be precious time spent with your children that you won't have much longer. And my children love automobile service centers. Some have dough nuts, and at WalMart, they can watch the work right through the window. Share a bit of your life with them, and you might be surprised how much of their life they share with you.
Related Tags: snow day, parenting, family, school, education
