If it’s freezing outside and you spot a kid without a coat, your instinctual mom reaction might be to wonder why anyone would send their tykes out without first bundling them up. The truth is, however, that kids not wearing winter coats is a sign that parents are keeping their little ones safe.
Mom and reddit user MindyS1719 shared a “winter PSA” that went viral. Her post asked would-be mom-shamers to refrain from commenting on kids going coatless in cold weather. “If you’re out and about and see a parent with a baby/toddler who isn’t wearing a coat, pleeeeease [sic] don’t assume that parent is some kinda monster who doesn’t care if their kids freeze.”
Experts have long warned against the dangers of leaving kids in puffy winter wear while buckled into their car seat. Removing coats is vital to keeping kids safe in a car, but it doesn’t make things easy for parents who have to shuffle squirmy toddlers in and out of coats and seats multiple times.
Other parents quickly chimed in with their own experiences being mom-shamed while out and about with their coat-less kids. The consensus was pretty clear that a few seconds of cold was a harmless price to pay to keep kids safe—and mom’s sanity in tact.
Parenting is hard enough without worrying what shoppers in the Costco parking lot think about your kids’ wardrobe.
—Shahrzad Warkentin
Featured photo: jty11117777 via Pixabay
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