I have a spirited son. As the temperatures here in the Pacific Northwest have dropped from the 60s to the 50s and now the 40s, my 7-year-old continues to insist on wearing shorts and T-shirts, no matter the weather.
“It’s chilly outside! Don’t you think you might want to wear some pants?”
“Nope, I’m good, Mom.”
“How about a long-sleeved shirt?”
Not a chance. I’ve stopped even asking him if he wants a jacket—there’s no way he’ll agree.
Maybe it’s because he’s my youngest and I’ve been through this before, or maybe I’m just naturally laid-back, but I don’t stress over his clothing choices. If it’s cold, I suggest he put on something warmer. I remind him to grab a jacket if we’ll be outdoors for a while, but I don’t force him to wear it.
I’ve seen other parents take a firm stance on this issue. While I don’t view myself as overly permissive, I do choose my battles. Arguing about pants or coats isn’t worth my energy. If he’s chilly, he’ll eventually opt for warmer clothing. If he declines and ends up feeling cold, he’ll learn from that experience. As long as it’s not freezing, he won’t just “catch his death” from the cold.
Interestingly, experts suggest that he’s unlikely to get sick from being underdressed. I was curious about this age-old wisdom of bundling kids up, so I did some digging. Aside from the risk of hypothermia from prolonged exposure to cold (which is rare in everyday situations), allowing kids to go without a jacket doesn’t increase their chances of getting sick. The belief that cold weather causes colds or pneumonia is mostly an old wives’ tale. Kids get sick from viruses, not the temperature outside. While people do tend to fall ill more often in winter, that’s usually due to being indoors in close quarters with others rather than the actual cold.
I did discover that if a child is already sick, being out in the cold could exacerbate their symptoms. So, if your child has a cold or is feeling under the weather, definitely bundle them up. But for healthy kids? There’s no harm in short sleeves.
I like to view weather preparation as a lesson in natural consequences. Just as a child learns to eat their dinner if they go to bed hungry, they’ll figure out to wear pants and a jacket if they find themselves uncomfortably cold enough times. Recently, I’ve noticed that when I tell my son it’s cold outside, he’ll respond with, “I’ll bring my jacket, just in case.” He’s had enough experiences of cold arms and legs due to his own choices to have learned that lesson, so I rarely have to insist he grab a jacket anymore. Kids need to experience certain lessons firsthand. The jacket/no jacket dilemma is a safe way for them to exercise their independence and understand the consequences of their choices, as long as it’s not actually below freezing.
Just today, as we were getting ready to head to the store, it was 45 degrees and raining. My son was dressed as if we were on a beach holiday—short-sleeved polo shirt, shorts, and flip-flops.
“Have you seen outside?” I asked. He peeked out the window, then went to the coat closet and put on his winter coat. And that’s how he went to the store—down jacket, shorts, and flip-flops.
He was perfectly comfortable. I didn’t say a word.
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In summary, I choose not to engage in power struggles with my son over his clothing choices. Allowing him to make his own decisions teaches him about natural consequences, and he’s learning to prepare for the weather in his own way.