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If you live in the Northern Hemisphere, like me, it is currently winter.  If you are as lucky as me to live in a region with a cold climate, then you have presumably been bundling up recently.  It has been exceptionally cold here over the last week or so.  Because of this, many parents have been telling their kids that they should dress warmer.  Unfortunately, this can become rather silly at a certain point.

I have always been a rather warm person.  I rarely get cold, so I tend to wear shorts later into the year than the general population.  Because of this, I rarely wear coats when I am outside, even if it is winter.  Usually, a sweatshirt is enough for me, as long as I am not outside for an overly long time.  So, as I have gotten older, I am starting to find that being told to put on a coat, put on a hat, etc. is very annoying.

Maybe this is just my opinion, but I think by 16, a teenager can make a reasonable decision on how much clothing they need for the weather.  If I don’t put on enough, that is my loss and I will have to deal with the cold.  Also, I am old enough to be in tune with my body and know whether or not I will be cold.  It’s another thing to stop me from doing something exceptionally stupid, like wear shorts while outside for an extended period in cold weather.

While on the topic of shorts  outside in cold weather, there is also a reasonable period of time in which excessive clothing is not needed.  If I am going to walk to the car, drive somewhere, and then walk into a building, I really don’t need a coat.  If I’m going to a sports practice where I will be wearing shorts, shorts are really okay for the brief walk.  Once again, if I am cold, I and only I will pay the price.

This being said, the need to make your teenagers bundle up in the winter is a little overdone.  We are old enough to make our own choices, so there is no reason to treat us like we are too young.