Megan Again: Singing The Snow Day Blues

By Megan Wirts

“Are you freaking kidding me??!!”, I exclaimed out loud to myself when I got the text that school was closed for what seems like the hundredth time this year. I am down to BBQ sauce and angel hair pasta for food options in the house and very little coffee. How will we survive!?
The winter weather for the past few weeks has been unprecedented making many school aged children's snow day dreams come true, which can be a nightmare for some parents. Especially when you are contemplating making BBQ Pasta for dinner. Barf. If you are a working parent a snow day can mean lost wages or having to pay for childcare. I have been there and it sucks.

When I became a stay at home parent, snow days definitely changed for me. I was no longer scrambling to find a babysitter or begging a coworker to fill in for me. Snow days turned into sleeping in, snugglefests and playing in the snow. Then the snow days kept coming, again and again and again. The days began to blur together, we watched all the movies and it was too cold to play in the snow.

I do love sleeping in, having my small people warm and safe, while snuggling all day and watching movies. All of that is great until, one kid's foot is in the other kid's face, someone farted and it wasn't the dog, we can't agree on what movie to watch and did I mention, I only have BBQ sauce and angel hair pasta left to eat in the house!!!! Not to mention my dwindling coffee supply.

I understand the need for cancelling school when the roads are treacherous and I am thankful that the safety of our children has become a priority. I am not mad at the schools, don't get me wrong. I have heard many people say that this generation is “soft”, or “back in my day we never had snow days!”, or “I used to walk two miles uphill both ways barefoot in the snow no matter what!”, blah, blah, blah. I have heard it all and even thought some of those thoughts. However, I appreciate that the lives of our children and the school staff are valued enough to cancel school on really crappy weather days. Sometimes though, I just want them to go back to school because if I hear another child say “I'm bored” this mama might snap!

Yes, I love my children and I even consider myself to be a creative and fun mom. I usually have a positive attitude, but on snow day #322 my creativity wanes and fun mom turns into stressed and tired mom that understands why some species eat their young.

As of this writing there are 35 days until Spring. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. I see you burnt out and exhausted parents. I am with you parents and caregivers that have been stuck inside while the joys of your life test your limits and you begin to relate to Jack Nicholson in The Shining. We are in this together.

Tomorrow I will get groceries and hopefully the children will go back to school. If not, it looks like another day of BBQ pasta and if I run out of coffee….well... hopefully the children survive.

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