White death is fun!

When I was a child in school there were two words that would send more joy, more glee, more happiness into the heart of every child..."snow day". I loved getting a snow day. I even recall one year, I believe it was 1977, when we had 2 weeks of snow days because we had about 2 feet of snow. In some parts of the country, 2 feet of snow is just normal winter day; in Portsmouth, OH 2 feet of snow shuts down the city. As a kid there is no better feeling that waking up to a fresh, thick blanket of snow, checking the radio or television for your school's name, leaping for glee when you see it, and heading back to bed for 2 hours.

I loved not having to worry about homework (not that I EVER did), and heading out into the beautiful carpet of white and playing until your toes turned blue. The house I grew up in had a sloped back yard that was perfect for sledding. It was not a particularly long track, but it was challenging. There was a stone wall at the bottom, with a door about three feet wide,that emptied into an alley. There were also stepping stones all the way down our "track", and if the snow was not deep enough, they would throw you off course and into the wall. So, our track started at the chain linked gate at the top and ended at the alley, and had enough curves in the run to make it interesting. By the end of the day, my friend and I usually had a nice little toboggan course, and some fresh bruises because we didn't always get past that stone wall. I loved snow days. Playing football, sledding, building forts and having snowball fights, then finishing it all off with a round of Swiss Miss Instant Cocoa. Those were the days.

However, now that I am grown and have children of my own, I have a much different view of snow days. While I still enjoy snow, snow days are more of a nuisance than a joy. Snow days mean that someone has to be home with the kids, or a sitter has to be found at the last minute. Sometimes my wife, who is a teacher, does not have a snow day when the girls do, which can be a problem. I work from home, so if I have no meeting to attend, this is usually not a problem. But if I have scheduled appointments, then we have to scramble. Furthermore, snow days mean that my kids will want to go out and play in the snow, come back in wet and cold and want some Swiss Miss Instant Cocoa. Which, again is no problem if their mother is home, but still disrupts my workday. Then someone has to deal with those wet, cold clothes and help the kiddos warm up. And since they were only outside for about 30 minutes, they spend the rest of the time fussing and fighting inside.

Snow days for kids are great. Snow days for adults, well, let's just say we wish we could be kids again. Don't get me wrong, I truly love my children. They are a precious gift from God. Yet, the longer I am a parent, the more appreciation I have for what my own mother did for me. Thanks, Mom.

Peace.

Bill