By Tiffany Shedd
February may be the shortest month of the year, but with all the winter weather we’ve gotten, it seems to be lasting forever. I thought that we weren’t going to have much of a winter, because last winter we started getting snow in early November.
This year, our first significant snow fall didn’t arrive until two weeks ago, and we have had snow pretty consistently every three to four days since then. It’s snowing right now.
Who is sick of the snow? This lady, that’s who. I bet there are a lot of you who are also tired of the cold, the snow, the school delays and cancellations, and missed appointments. I have got a major case of cabin fever. How about you?
Before I had a child, I don’t think that weather affected me nearly as much, aside from being stationed in Alaska and having S.A.D (but that’s a whole other subject). My little man loves being outside, so winter is particularly bad for him. He is a typical, stubborn 2-year-old and won’t keep his hat or mittens on.
The hat, I can deal with, but the mittens are problematic. His go-to move is to take the mittens off and immediately shove his hands into the snow. This always results in the same exact reaction. He slowly lifts his hands up above his head and starts shaking and yelling in rage at how cold and tingly his hands are. Any attempt to put the mittens back on are met with more screaming. Any attempt to take him into the house to warm up are met with blood curdling screams that typically cause the neighbors to check to see if he is being hurt. It isn’t pretty, folks.
So, outside time is scarce, for both of our safety (my mental and his physical). That leaves us stuck inside for far too long. In desperation, I admit, I often turn to Nick Jr. or Disney Jr. for some back up, but there is only so much Peppa Pig and Jake and the Neverland Pirates.
I have tried crafts, like coloring and painting. These only hold his attention for about two to three minutes. We have read “The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales” every day for the last three weeks. Yes, we have other books (hundreds of them), but when little man starts chanting “cheese, cheese” over and over again, it will only be quelled by reading this one.
I have scoured the internet for toddler approved activities. I have a Pinterest board full of them. Have we tried any? Nah. The set up (ie: finding all the materials, getting them set up and ready) takes about three times as long as it will hold his attention. Toddlers have a really short attention span, if you hadn’t noticed.
Luckily, we are part of a great local mommies group. On days that are safe to travel, we have been spending time with other snowbound mommies and kids. Cabin fever isn’t as bad if you are in someone else’s house with more adults to commiserate about your snow sickness.
We have also taken advantage of our local libraries. They have weekly story times and a lot of them have play areas that are usually filled with other kids whose moms, dads, grandparents or nannies just couldn’t take staying at home anymore. I usually take a couple of minutes to find something for myself while we are there too. Mama’s gotta take care of mama too!
Our library even has activities and special times for kids with special needs (like ADHD and Autism) to come and enjoy as well. Just ask a librarian or check your library’s site. Most local libraries have Facebook pages now, so you can see what they have going on without searching their webpage.
I know I mention Facebook a lot, but it really is a great tool for finding local things and groups to get involved in. I have found more on Facebook than I have trying to find information in newspapers and local websites. Without it, I wouldn’t know about the Sensory sensitive movie times that AMC Theaters offer. I wouldn’t know about the special needs kids’ days at the local kids’ museum. It isn’t just for checking up on high school friends and posting funny cat videos, it really can be an excellent resource for parents, especially special needs parents.
Just remember that winter is technically almost over, even if it is still snowing and horribly cold. Hang in there. You’ll be outside sweating and wishing for cooler temperatures soon enough. Think about all those ice cream cones and picnics the next time your kid dumps every toy basket before 9 a.m. (yes, that happens here every morning). Cabin fever isn’t deadly, but it is as hard to shake as that bad cold you’ve probably had since November.
