How Winter Weather Affects the Working Parent

Being a Rhode Islander all my life, it's easy to just brush off the severe winter weather as though it's no big deal. After all, if you live in New England (or anywhere with normal seasonal changes), you tend to get used to things like rain, sleet, snow, and ice. But suddenly, factor in a baby and your whole world gets turned upside down (as to be expected, of course). And the stress level increases especially when you're a working parent.

So what are the pitfalls of winter on the working parent? Here are just a few to think about (and plan ahead for):

1. Snow cleanup
Before motherhood, I'd get outside to my car just 20 minutes before having to take off and grumble as I shoveled enough to get out and get to work. Now, it's not so simple. I have to take my young toddler daughter into account, who really shouldn't be left alone for more than a minute, since she's fast as lightning and there's way too much trouble she can get into way too fast. So now it's not just a simple matter of getting outside and cleaning up after a snowstorm. As a parent, you have to plan ahead by shoveling the night before, or getting up extra early while the little ones still sleep to do the cleaning up.

2. Preparing the car
Seemed like no big deal before, right? Just put on a hat, some gloves, get in and get going. With a little one to worry about now, a parent has coordinate ahead on de-icing the car, and warming it up since you don't want to pop your infant into a cold car. My advice? Run out and start your car warming 20 minutes before you have to leave, or ask for a remote car starter for next Christmas.

3. Daycare issues
Daycare can be a wonderful thing for a working parent. It's always there, always dependable...well, sort of. In Rhode Island, as I've seen this winter (since we've averaged one storm per week for the first month of this year), most daycares will close if the town they're located in closes their schools officially. This means that unless you have some miracle back-up childcare (which most working parents don't), you end up needing to call out of work. Oh yeah, and you also still have to pay for any missed days. Also beware: early school closings.

4. Boredom
They say it's quality, not quantity, especially when it comes to the working parent. Because our time is so limited with our kids, we have to cherish every moment. Of course, it does make it just a tad more difficult when you're stuck inside for months on end due to freezing temperatures and hazardous ice. Fortunately, with a little creativity, (and maybe with some help from Google), you can always come up with some games for indoor play.

5. Sickness
As the weather starts turning colder, the average person starts thinking about things like preparing their home or car for the cold weather, or where the best local places for skiing are. For a parent, it's that nightmarish realization that cold and flu season are upon us once again. Why the big panic? Well, besides not wanting to see your little angle suffer through a miserable cough for 2 weeks, there's also the bit about possible call-outs from work to take care of your children.

6. Depression
It's perfectly normal in areas that experience the winter season for people to start feeling down and out after so much snow and short days. But add in the stress of work and raising children, and it's enough to bring even the strongest of people down. Luckily, the doctor's only a call away, and there are both medicinal and natural ways of making yourself feel better about things during the winter months.

These points aren't meant to make a working parent feel bad about these possible situations; they're meant to be a warning so you can be better prepared. After all, I wish someone had told me about these things while I was pregnant!