What does everyone think of this? The reason why I'm asking is that yesterday youngest DS - he's 15 years old, came home from school at the usual time, after his school had held sports day. Yesterday it was very hot round here.
I didn't twig there was an actual problem at first - his room was a complete mess again, (after having me on his back Saturday to get the cess pit cleared!), so I launched into one when he got home. Yes I know that alot of MN will say 'Oh you are a bad mother, what is a messy room, he's a teenager, etc etc', but I'm afraid I don't agree for a number of reasons why its acceptable - we all parent differently. I'm prepared to get 'roasted' on this, and there's nothing you can say to me where I haven't already castigated myself on missing it, but I want you to also look at what I'm actually asking.
So he spent quite a bit of time clearing up. I'm afraid I was unsympathetic, because he often trashes his room (and his older brother), on going problem which infuriates me, and makes any tidy up a very long, whiny, difficult process where he delays as much as possible, argues, says he's too tired and gets stroppy. So I thought he was using his usual tactics and acted accordingly.
Then I saw his legs, the tops of his legs were sun burnt. By the time I saw that and asked him how he'd got burnt he told me he had had Sports Day (parents don't go to Secondary School SDs at his school) and his complaints about muscle pains, headache (which I'd earlier made him take tablets for and have drinks), tiredness, disorientation and confusion etc etc made me realize he was quite possibly affected by sun stroke/heat stroke. I obviously then went through all the usual things you would do to help someone whose been in the sun too long.
He's going into school and seems better but he'll be going in late because he's still not quite right and I want to make sure before I take him in.
I am annoyed at myself that I hadn't realised there was a problem - obviously I wouldn't have made him sort out his room if I had. I'm tough but not heartless.
But I'm also abit annoyed with the school. I know that its tradition for schools to hold sports days in the summer, but considering the extreme temperatures we are getting, kids sitting out in the middle of a unshaded sports field for hours and exercising in the heat, I can't help but think that maybe this should have been postponed. Looking up Heat Stroke on line it recommends avoidance of the sun, extreme exercise etc when there are very high temperatures.
Whether we like it or not, our planet is going through Climate Change, and the planet is getting alot warmer. My question is should people actually start looking at what things are done at certain times of the year and maybe move things like Sports Days to different times of the year?? I just think its crazy, and irresponsible, to have kids exercising and exposed to very high temperatures just because its traditional to hold Sports Days in summer.
If I ran my dogs around in the heat of the day yesterday, they would have collapsed and I would probably be reported to the RSPCA. We are currently only walking our dogs very early in the morning or quite late when its cooler. I know I wouldn't have felt like running races when it was so hot.
So why should we ignore the temperatures when it comes to our children??
Unless or until, humans are able to slow down or halt Global Warming, do you think that we need to really look at adjusting some of our activities, like in the case of school sports days, holding them at different and cooler times of the year???
I may not respond to this thread for a while as I will shortly be driving DS into school and braving the A14 at rush hour, but I am interested in what you all think.