Teenagers and the cold

[sherrybaby23]

It's going to be -5 next week and still my 12 year old refuses to wear a coat to school. In his defence there are no lockers or cloakrooms so I understand why it would be a pain to carry a bulky coat around all day. But I actually think it's more to do with the fact that kids allegedly get picked on for wearing layers. Like being cold is a sign of weakness.

He did wear thermals under his uniform for a while but stopped when that too was spotted and ridiculed.

Why are kids like this? Objectively I suppose it's up to him if he wants to be cold but could he get ill from hanging around the bus stop and playground in very few clothes in such cold temperatures?

My now 16 year old dd was like this from 13-15, drove me nuts. However now she is back in jumpers and coats, mostly. My just turned 13 year old does sometimes do a coat, but often over a shirt / crop top, and will only wear shorts in PE days as school tracksuit is ‘totally gross’. I am trying to be less bothered this time round.

We were all Teens once and in all honesty I dont ever remember being cold so much that Id be ill. Hands and feet yes but body no. Lads ised to wear football tops or Tshirts underneath their shirts years ago cant he do this its only a few days!

The fashion for north face coats has saved us. They are inexplicably popular and the only accepted coat in teen world. They literally all wear them. But they are warm and waterproof so it’s a parental win.

Teenagers are odd always have been always will be. The good thing is they are old enough that you can say "well if you are cold it's your own fault" and leave then to it.

DD (Year 11) wears a hoody to school, takes it off at the gates as they're not allowed to wear them and then puts it on again when she leaves.

A coat would be a much easier option!

I was once that teen that never felt the cold or maybe I did I can't remember, still hardly wore a coat, and never used an umbrella in the rain despite my mum telling me I look ridiculous walking in the rain with my umbrella (that she insisted I take with me) tucked under my arm 🤣

eh? I think you’re mistaken. It’s not “cool” to be cold at all, plus it’s definitely social acceptable to have a trendy or expensive coat. Maybe he’s embarrassed of the one he has. Also I never remember being cold at school tbh, you have to remember that people that age are fairly healthy and active and might run around during lunch etc and spend the day in a heated environment so there isn’t a major need for a coat. I lived near my school growing up and my parents drove, whereas the people who lived further afield and got public transport to school might have “needed” a coat. Maybe you just feel the cold more than he does and he feels you are being pushy?

Ds 13 simply isn't cold. I have secretly been running his radiator down with the hive app and it doesn't get above 17 degrees in his room, he has a 7 tog duvet, wears shorts only in bed and hasn't once complained he is cold. The temperature difference of his room v the rest of the house is 5 degrees plus.
I'm sitting in 21 with electric blanket!

He rides his bike to school and does wear gloves (he requested them!) a cotton v neck jumper over a short sleeve shirt, blazer and nowt else.

DD wears tights, bodycon dress usually short sleeve, a superdry bomber jacket, refuses gloves but does complain her room is cold below 19.

They don't feel cold. Only us old people feel cold

Teens are a pain in the tits.

They're always freezing at home, but perfectly fine outside with no coat

At the local secondary schools, all of the DC (including my own two) are in black puffer jackets all of the time. Having never worn a coat myself after about week 2 of Yr7, I continue to be surprised by this.

I think he'd struggle with a puffer jacket because length wise it wouldn't go over his blazer. I hate blazers, they are so outdated and unpractical. Boiling in the summer and not easy to wear a coat over in the winter.

To the helpful poster who said he's embarrassed of his coat, not the case at all. He has a trendy coat but he doesn't want to carry it around all day. And it's not about being cold and cool, I think it's more that if you wear a coat or jumper or god forbid anything thermal you apparently look soft.

Most of the kids at DS school take a coat when it’s cold. Most are the puffer style at the moment worn over blazers.

ds doesn’t feel the cold at all though, he runs hot and will happily be walking around in just his underpants opening windows!

I didn't wear a coat for two winters as DM refused to replace the "perfectly good coat" that I failed to grow out of at 13. I wasn't loitering outside long enough to suffer for it. When I did wear coats in my late teen/ student years, they were far thinner than the coats I wear in adulthood.

Teenagers' metabolisms run high and the benefit they get from a coat compared to the inconvenience they have of lugging it around is somewhat low.

I guess different schools have different cultures. Like pp have said, my DS wouldn't weather a coat until we paid through the arse for a NorthFace one, but it is warm and practical so whatever.

But if the culture in your child's school.is coats look soft then there's not too much you can do. Does he walk or get a lift ?

DS2 (and others) would wear a zip up Nike/sports top under their blazer and remove that when they got to school as an extra layer

This! I can remember going to watch rugby in my youth, on cold winter days, not even bothering with a jacket and with a top which only just hit the top of my jeans - and I downright refused to wear anything underneath the top.

DS is in year 11 and we've been through various coat stages. Happy to wear one in year 7. Year 8 would take one but largely remained in his bag. For both these years he had a tog24 puffer that took up minimal space but was still warm. Year 9, no coat, end of. A hoodie, however, was acceptable. Year 10, a waterproof would be worn if it was chucking it down. Year 11, he has two vintage jackets he bought himself and alternates between the two. They have been deemed "very cool" by his peers and one was "borrowed" by a girl he liked at one point.
Honestly, pick your battles. They don't feel the cold.

DS is in Y10 and I gave up trying to get him to wear a coat ages ago. He’s only got a 10 min walk to school and he doesn’t want to carry it around all day with his school bag (which weighs a tonne) plus other stuff. He’s got a rain mac that folds up tiny in his bag, wears a jumper under his blazer and has a beanie hat. Most of the other kids are wearing coats in this cold weather so I’m 99% sure it’s not because it’s uncool.

Ds Yr 10 exactly the same . If I go past the school bus stop its pretty much most in hoodies, some in coats and a few with neither.

A hoodie is less faff to carry than a coat but it's lack of waterproofness is his choice!

Ultimately it’s his body temperature so his choice. But teenagers are weird.

Mine just doesn't feel it. He'll wear a coat if it's around freezing (I do as soon as it hits single digits) but can't be bothered carrying it otherwise. The house is at 16 a few hours a day, colder otherwise, and he's usually barefoot and in a t-shirt.

The brand or style of coat doesn't matter, but he's always been in with the STEM kids and no one is bothered.