Do you remember ….. “Put on a Coat!”

What is it about kids and coats?  Currently we are experiencing temperatures hovering right around freezing and so, as I leave the house, I bundle up.  Yet as I head out in my car with my nice warm coat on,  gloves on to keep my hands warm,  and the heater blasting, I see kids walking nonchalant, in shorts and no coat as if it was the middle of summer.

My brother and me
Bakersfield, California

I do remember being a kid and trying to get out the door without a coat on and hoping mom wouldn’t see us.  Because moms have eyes in the back of their heads, she always knew what we were up to and reminded us to put on a coat. I also remember resisting. How could we play and do all we wanted to do when we were restricted by an extra layer of clothing?

This picture always makes me smile.  I look at it and wonder about the story behind it. Over the years the story and reasoning has been lost, so no one can explain to me why I am in shorts and a light sweater while my little brother is bundled up from head to toe in a nice toasty snowsuit.  The thing is, I don’t look like I am miserable or cold.  So I wonder, did I fight Mom on the coat and she finally said fine, find out for yourself?  Was I just warm blooded?  Or was I just oblivious to it all because I was having fun with my little brother?

Whatever the reason, of this I am confident, at some point, my mom told me to put a on a coat.  It’s a given.

Copyright © Michelle G. Taggart 2014,  All rights reserved

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3 thoughts on “Do You Remember …..”Put on a Coat!”

  1. That is so true — I saw a boy just yesterday in a tee-shirt despite the low temperature. His arms were purple. Where was his mother??? While I don't really remember my mother telling me to put on a coat, I do know she faithfully reminded me to take along some change and a tissue.

  2. Not only did I hear, "Put on a coat" but I also heard, "You need a hat." I remember babies always being bundled up more than everyone else. The idea seemed to be that babies needed to be warmer than children and adults. I have a photo of my mom holding me when I was about a year. I am wearing a winter coat and bonnet while my mom was dressed in a summer house dress. The other thing I notice is that I used to be able to wear lighter clothing in the winter and still feel warm, whereas now I feel cold most of the time, even when wearing several layers of clothing. Perhaps moms spoke from the vantage point of cool age?

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