Happy Kids, Inc: Confession: I Don't Like Snow Days

By Meg Hodson

I love watching my kids play in the snow. I am humbled by kids and their sheer enjoyment of frozen ice crystals on the ground. They mold it into snowballs, they run through it, they eat it, they kick it, they dive head first into it, they sled in it, THEY LOVE IT!

It is the simplest, purest form of enjoyment I can think of for kids, especially for those that don't have it often. That is where my family comes into the picture. We live in a suburban town of Portland, Oregon. While our beautiful Cascade Mountains (Mt. Hood being the closest one to us) get bountiful snow, it's much more rare for the valley. So, when it does happen, 2 things occur: (1) Mass hysteria and, (2) The town essentially shuts down. Businesses have limited hours, you're warned to "stock up" at the grocery store, few people drive, it's a ghost town essentially. It's Fort Knox: nobody is getting in and nobody is getting out.

But guess what? I'm a Mom who owns a home-based business. I DON'T SHUT DOWN! And I imagine this is the same case for many parents, whether they work from home or go to a job--they have a schedule, a routine. When my routine gets disrupted, it causes a kerfluffle. I can adjust with the best of them and I do what I have to do. Trust me, I am one of THOSE Moms that can produce craft projects on the fly, administer "extra credit" via workbooks, assign chores, and get warm clothes lined up for playing outside. But eventually, their fingers are stuck together with glue, their brains hurt from math & science, chores are done, and they are cold from the snow. In other words, they get bored.

But my school year schedule (unlike, say, summer vacation) has been carefully orchestrated like musical instruments in a ballet production: the wind instruments have their moments to chime in (kids in school), the string instruments have their time to shine (Mom and Dad's intricate work schedule intertwined perfectly), and the time when all the instruments get to play together (evenings and the weekend). If one instrument is off, well, you can imagine what happens.

So, I hope I am making it clear that this is not a selfish post about "me" time (although that is important and no Mom should feel guilty about taking it). I love spending time with my kids; they amaze me everyday. Maybe for some parents "Snow Day" is bucolic, carefree, like a scene from your favorite romantic comedy. But this is not my reality. I am not even sure if I would want it to be.

Thankfully, my kids are very understanding that Mom can't play in the snow all day with them. They go with the flow well. As a Mom, though, it is still difficult just to "go through the motions" and become somewhat robotic in accomplishing basic tasks for them as I try to make deadlines for my business. Believe me, it would be wonderful to drop everything, take the day off, and make snow angels.

When I had the chance to write about this and reflect, I realized that this is probably a good thing for my kids. My life as a Mom is not only about my love and duties for them; it's also time for myself and time to support our family from a financial standpoint. Would I rather have snow days scheduled? Probably. But would I trade in my kids' excitement when a snow day arrives? Never.