Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2 3

Original poster

to feel like a crap parent for not taking children sledging?

68 replies

ivehadtonamechangeforthis · 01/03/2018 22:04

I have a 16 month old and a 2.10 year old (so just shy of being 3).

Both children have colds and conjunctivitis.

It is -3 where we live and only a light dust of snow, roads are clear.

Spoke to a couple of friends this eve and they can't believe I haven't taken my children out sledging or at the very least to the park. Feeling really guilty. Anyone else not been out 'making the most' of the snow?

OP posts:

PollyCotton · 01/03/2018 22:37

Nope - stay inside until the snow gets deep, then they can play in it. I need to see it all pretty & pristine before they're allowed to go mess it up! It's supposed to snow heavily here tonight, I'll probably take them out for a few minutes tomorrow. At 6 & 4 them playing in the snow involves me being there too & I get a painful dry face & chilblains so I'm not keen on being out there for too long!

Glumglowworm · 01/03/2018 22:37

YANBU

they’re tiny and poorly and it’s absolutely freezing, and the strong wind makes it feel even colder than it is. They’d get wet and cold and miserable and so would you.

Stay home in the warm and watch frozen

Bellabluea · 01/03/2018 22:38

We went sledging (dds aged 6 and 7).
They liked it for 5 minutes then both ended up crying because they were too cold.
I told dd to stop being silly and took them home whinging that my children were snowflakes.
Got home realised their wellies were leaking and they had frozen toes due to wet socks.
Bad parent.
You’re not missing out. Stay in the warm.

MamaDuckling · 01/03/2018 22:39

So relieved I'm not the only one. I've felt so guilty! Working full time, and is bloody freezing! Left work early today to take DS (4) sledding, he couldn't have cared less and said it was too cold 😩

LadyRivers1 · 01/03/2018 22:40

Nope, mine are 11 and 8 but we would just be miserable sledging in these conditions, kept waiting for a break in the weather but was never long enough. Once the stormy weather passes we will be all over it though, the snow won't disappear over night.

Taffeta · 01/03/2018 22:40

They’re way too young to enjoy it

My 11 & 14 yos are loving it

Couldn’t get the 11 yo in at all until dark

Under 5 I wouldn’t bother tbh

Alexkate2468 · 01/03/2018 22:40

My DD hated the snow until she was 4. My DS is 15 months and he's loved it. We've been out in it pretty much all day for the past two days. But mine aren't poorly and they like it. Do what works for your family. There's no point torturing yourself and the kids to live up to some false expectation.

thegreatbeyond · 01/03/2018 22:51

My baby is well, but still doesn't like being out in the freezing cold. We've had naps and books and lots of programmes seemingly all featuring Andy Day.

NoIdeaWhatToSay · 01/03/2018 22:53

OP I felt like you did earlier on today, I don't now! I've been working all week and my DC's school and nursery have been closed for 3 days. There have been so many photos on Facebook etc of happy kids playing in the snow I've felt so guilty because mine have been stuck in the house with grandma whilst I worked (guilty for all parties). This morning was a late start so I thought we'd have a bit of a play in the snow before getting in the car, I had literally 15 minutes and was so excited to see their little faces. They absolutely hated it, my 2yo had an absolute meltdown because his gloves got wet, then his hands. My 5yo was annoyed because his feet were cold. They hated the sledge, I hated the sledge. It was a disaster!

Sometimes the thoughts of something are better than the reality! Don't feel bad.

pallisers · 01/03/2018 22:53

They are too young to enjoy it and won't remember it anyway.

bittern79 · 01/03/2018 22:59

Well, you have to have the right gear - wellies are no good! Hiking boots, proper ski gloves, waterproof/ski trousers, scarf, etc. Or they will get cold...

Misty9 · 01/03/2018 23:07

You're not missing much. I took my 4 and 6yo out yesterday. I loved sledging! They moaned after 10mins that they were cold and wanted to go home. I stretched it to half an hour then gave in
Today it's been too cold with a bitter wind.

Butchmanda · 01/03/2018 23:26

Oh don't worry - stay home in the warm. Better fun when they're a bit older I think!

nokidshere · 01/03/2018 23:35

Mine are 16 & 18 years and we've never been sledging

tinkywinky2018 · 02/03/2018 00:04

Have you been listening to the smug twats on here wittering on about making memories and how wet and lazy you are if you aren't out building snowmen and singing songs from Frozen?

Ignore the stupid fuckers.

Emily7708 · 02/03/2018 00:10

They are tiny and unwell, don’t even give it a second thought.

I feel terrible I haven’t taken mine out in the snow but my arthritis is killing me in this weather.

Puffthemagicdragongoestobed · 02/03/2018 00:27

Feelings of guilt here too! Both DH and I work full time so our kids (7 and 4) have been at school/ after school care whilst others were in the park. We don’t even have sledges (have enough crap in the house) so DH ordered some on amazon prime but they didn’t arrive duh! The snow will probably have melted by the time they get here!

seagreengirl · 02/03/2018 00:44

OP my advice to you is just give up now all thoughts of being a "perfect" parent, because you will always be feeling guilty.

If you look at Facebook tell yourself that people are only putting on there what they want other people to see, and only stuff which portrays them in the best light. Likewise the mummy blogs, they are not true. EVERYONE does stuff that wouldn't pass as perfect parenting. Children don't need to be entertained and stimulated every minute of the day, they don't need perfectly home made food when you are feeling exhausted, and if they are anything like mine, they love a day indoors when they are feeling ill.

There will be plenty of time for snow when they are older, and it isn't as cold. One of mine always used to cry after 5 minutes and want to go in. You sound like a lovely Mum who puts the needs of her children first, unlike your friends and their competitive parenting

Canuckduck · 02/03/2018 02:36

With children that age they won’t care and would probably cry anyways. They need proper snow /ski gear to be comfortable playing for a long time outside in snow. If they’re I’ll I wouldn’t worry at all

Laurence45 · 02/03/2018 02:41

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Rainatnight · 02/03/2018 02:44

When I saw your thread title, I thought you were going to say they were 7 and 9 or something!

YADNBU with tinies! The same thought fleetingly crossed my mind today, and then I remembered back to the last snow in December (which wasn't as cold as this), when we took DD (then 18 months) to the park to play in it. She's normally an extremely cheerful and reasonable little soul, but she just got miserably cold and wept and screamed. It took us ages to warm her up when we got home, to the extent that I got a bit worried at one point.

We've done outings this week, but to indoor places. Otherwise, she's enjoyed looking out and it and doing a lot of 'oooh, sthnowwwwwwww!'

joystir59 · 02/03/2018 03:29

Wait until they are old enough to go out on their own and play in it. My happy snow memories are all of going out and playing in the snow with my friends. For hours. Parents were not involved

KERALA1 · 02/03/2018 06:37

Snow can be fun but not for pre schoolers

Flomy · 02/03/2018 06:41

My DD had a hat on, ear muffs and a scarf around her mouth.

The exposed bits on her face are now bright red and really really sore. I cant even touch them.

Windburn?

wtffgs · 02/03/2018 06:58

Oh fgs! We love sledging and are fortunate to live close to some good slopes. The kids were off school yesterday but I didn't take them because I've just been discharged from hospital, it's jeffing freezing and our heating's broken so I we wouldn't be able to warm up afterwards.

Life - and in your case, very small kids - is about more than Fakebook Makin' Memories BS.

Stay warm. You've got years of sledging. Anyway IME really small kids enjoy snowy, icy conditions for about 4 minutes

Flip

1 2 3

Swipe left for the next trending thread