Someone’s Dream Come True!
Rivki D. Rosenwald Esq., LMFT, CLC, SDS
You can’t beat a good snowstorm.
At least for someone between the ages of 2 and 12. Nothing is more fun for them.
Sure, you can take your kids to amusement parks, or on family trips, hiking, biking, or skiing. But you never do better than when you give them great packable snow – right outside their front door.
The carrots come out, The old buttons and gummies for the eyes and nose. And they are ready to begin their career as ice sculptors.
Of course, if you’ve got a big enough snow fall, and a really good artisan among your crowd, you might even get yourself a second home! And fortunately, one with no heating requirement! A great cost savings right there. Yes, it can be igloo building time, as well.
And best of all, if you have the right neighbor or sloped property, you might even have that fulfilled, sledding hill right near you!
This kind of day is the ultimate enjoyable experience ………. That is, for your kid!
As a parent, this can be a mixed bag, of course!
There are benefits …… and drawbacks!
The commute to the activity is certainly easier than the typical Sunday trip somewhere! In fact, you usually can’t even unbury the car, even if you wanted to.
You don’t have to tolerate the tortuous cry of “Are we there yet” that begins the minute any kid climbs into a car! Which is usually followed up by “I’m hungry”. And then, “I need to use the bathroom”. All of which, of course, can come in a continuous revolving chorus depending on how many kids you have and how long the car ride lasts.
And yes, the price for the entertainment is definitely right; Heaven sent, not costing a cent!
But, but, but, the kids usually want you out there, freezing your nose and toes off right beside them, flake for flake, sled run for sled run!
You can’t even get away with standing inside the doorway, sipping a hot chocolate and warming at least one half of your body.
They want you to be a part of the full experience: Helping them to roll the head and body of the snowman to more than life size proportions or at least bigger and better than the kid’s next door.
Also, right there to lug their sleds immediately back up to the top of the hill, without a moments delay.
Even being, the recipient of the snowballs they playfully ball up and need a human target to haul at.
Woohoo, you’ve got your work cut out for you!
Yes yes, a great use of a snow fall for a kid. Yet, a cold, wet, hardworking exercise for a parent.
But worth it! Certainly, for the smiles on your kids’ faces! And then of course, for the walk you inevitability take, down memory lane for you – of a time when you yourself lived that wonderful, school free, snow day.
Rivki Rosenwald is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapistworking with both couples and individuals.
She is a Certified Relationship Counselor. She is a Co-Founder & Creator of an effective Parent Management of Adolescent Years Program. She can be contacted at 917-705-2004 or rivkirosenwald@gmail.com
