No Matter the Weather - Seasonal Reflections on Being a ROCS Parent

I hate the cold and I hate the heat. Spring and Fall are my seasons. But you won't hear me telling my kid anything like that on our way into school. No matter the weather (down to 10 degrees Fahrenheit), ROCS kids will be outside, playing and learning. Last winter, I realized quickly that I couldn't express any concern or irritation about the weather if I wanted to ensure a swift and smiley morning drop-off. Cora and I rode our bikes to school most mornings and I learned to embrace the cold, and the wet, and the laundry.

Last Monday's rainy playspace workday and this evening's frigid Stone Soup were perfect examples of events I might have skipped in a former life, because of the weather. But being a ROCS mom has implored me to stretch beyond my edges, just as it is stretching my daughter. In the winter I will pull on my snowpants so I can hang around at pickup if the kids want to play for awhile. In the spring, I'll pull on my rainboots and grab a baseball cap if it's raining so I can take in the sights, sounds, and smells that come to us only with those conditions.

See you out there?

- Jodi Kushins
ROCS Blog Editor