Snow Days mean something much different

There's a point in most of our lives where we think we know everything. How could we not? We are so smart and worldly and all that. So, we have to know how everyone else feels and thinks and have an understanding on the most intimate of levels with the world around us. Right?

Then we grow up a bit and get a taste of that lovely medicine called reality where we are constantly put in check by LIFE for all the things we really don't know that we think we did. To be fair to myself, I think I DID know everything within the context of my world however limited that was. I also think that it shows a sign of growth, and even maturity, to realize that's so much more out there we have no clue about.

Snow Days are one of those things I really didn't have a clue about. Back in the day, a snow day was a much loved day off school to stay in our PJs, drink hot cocoa, maybe play outside, but definitely NOT go to school or do homework. It was a party. A free time. A carefree part of my already carefree life.

What I didn't realize was the impact on the PARENTS of those children that get snow days. First there's the anxiety over whether or not they will actually cancel school. What's my day look like tomorrow? Can I cover? Can SP? What will we do all day? If school is closed for C, do we still take R and venture out onto the snowy and dangerous (maybe) roads? Are we horrible parents if we do that? It sounds so tempting.

This is followed by, Oh SHIT they did cancel school! There's a brief resurfacing of that feeling you have when you are a kid of "Snow Day! Snow Day!" Then you realize there's two little people you have to take care of, while working or you have to take a day off work. If you are lucky, you can swing it working from home because damn it you want to use your vacation days for fun stuff not snow days.

If school is actually closed the night before, you contemplate sleeping in but realize that isn't going to happen because YOU STILL HAVE TO WORK.

Morning comes and there is not a drop of snow on the ground or any obvious reason why school would be closed aside from the arctic tempatures. You get frustrated and think about how the make up of this snow day will eat into your Summer plans and get pissed all over again that they didn't plan ANY snow days into the school calendar. Just bad business planning.

In an attempt to learn your lesson from previous snow days, you make a schedule for the girls in your head while taking a shower. This day will go ok, you pep talk yourself while dressing in sweats. Girls are up, schedule is written and breakfast is done.

The rest of the day is spent balancing between work calls, emails, being able to maintain a thought for longer than a second, keeping girls occupied and being absolutely amazed that the schedule worked and they have been great. Then you pray school is open tomorrow because you don't want to blow another fun warm day and you have meetings that require you to be in the office.

All these things are ones I DID not used to think about or even be aware of. It never crossed my mind that there could be people who had no choice but to use vacation time or possibly not get paid if school was canceled. It also didn't cross my mind that sometimes, like when there's a freak polar vortex and tempatures are in the negatives, there are people without homes or shelter or coats or blankets and some of those are kids.

I get it now. I don't necessarily like it all the time and it's challenging, but I feel up to the challenge for the most part and feel thankful that our house is warm and my girls are safe.

Lesson learned.