a walk in any weather

"There's no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing." Does this quotation resonate with you at all? I have no idea when or where I heard it first (or who exactly said it), but I sort of love it, because I'm one of those people who loves getting to experience all four of the seasons. I love the damp, green, smells-like-dirt spring, I love the hot, humid, pool-necessary summer, I really love the colorful, crunchy, smells-like-leaves-burning fall and I even love the cold, bare, bone-chilling days of winter. When I was working (outside of our home) I often felt like I didn't get to experience the seasons because I was cooped up in our office for, like, ten to twelve hours per day. But this past year, being home with Bodhi, I got to enjoy them much more. Which brings me back to this quote. It actually originates from the Scandinavian country of Norway. From what I've read, many say that if you were to allow the weather to dictate when you leave your house in certain regions of Norway, you may never leave your house again.

This past winter, I was home with a newborn baby in January. Hypothetically, having a baby in January feels like a dream. You get through the lovely Christmas season, have your baby and then spend the winter months snuggled up on the couch, watching it snow. And there were some moments like this. But there were also moments where the cabin fever was real and if we weren't going out somewhere because the cold and flu season was terrifying, we were at least going out as in outside. And so I would bundle up my baby, cover him with multiple blankets, put on his hat and mittens, cover his car seat with a milk snob nursing cover and take a stroll around the block -- only to be stopped by strangers asking me why on earth I had my baby out in this weather.

It was really none of their business of course, but new mom guilt is real and I stopped taking him out so much. Until I remembered a post I had read on one of my favorite blogs (Cup of Jo). It was written years ago, 2011, way before Bodhi was even a blip on my radar. But in the post, Joanna talks about how Scandinavian parents often leave their babies outside of cafes and shops to sleep in the cold air; they believe the fresh, brisk air is healthy for the baby. Further, if you read about daycare in these Scandinavian countries, you will find that the children spend the majority of their time outside, in any weather.

Ever since reading these articles I've become so interested in this culture. Did you know that the Scandinavian countries, Norway, Denmark and Sweden, are consistently in the top ten in the world happiness report? This is despite the fact that they have long, freezing, essentially sunlight-less winters. And though this clearly has something to do with oil money and camaraderie, a lot of the articles that I've read also suggest that it goes back to childhood; in these countries kids are encouraged to be kids -- to spend a majority of their time outside, playing, getting dirty, using their imagination, breathing in the cold, fresh air. This sets them up to be healthy, happy, life-long learners. I don't want to come off like one of those people who thinks Europeans do everything better,* but this does seem superior to flash cards and practice books and constantly (whether internally or externally) comparing our children to one another, wondering who said the world, multiplied the fraction, waved, wrote the sentence, etcetera etcetera, first.

So anyway, as spring approached this past year, I started taking Bodhi for a walk almost every day. And then in the summer I kept at it; even if it was ninety degrees, we loaded up with sunscreen, hats, a clip-on fan and water bottles, and walked in the shade as much as possible. And so far this fall -- well, it's been beautiful weather and beautiful leaves and only sweat shirts and hats needed and basically bliss. But a week or so ago, I was making play-date plans with a friend and I heard myself say "it's almost borderline too cold to be outside." 😬 I caught myself, made the plans anyway, and vowed to remember the Cup of Jo article and the Norwegian quote any time that I was tempted to nix the walk due to inclement weather.

So in the spirit of Scandinavian parents, in the coming year I'm making it a goal to take a walk in any weather. We'll make sure we have the right clothing (whether it's rain boots and slickers, snow boots and coats, no shoes no shirt no problem) and take our thirty minute spin around the neighborhood. And maybe if we're lucky this will lead to a little extra dose of that Scandinavian happiness. :]

*But seriously, do they?