Do you still drive your kids to activities when the weather is awful?

[hpymomof3]

My dd has ballet and pointe twice a week. Their recital is in the beginning of June but they are starting to prepare for it now. Last semester she had to miss several days because she had too much homework to do before she could go. This semester started out well but then last Tuesday I couldn't bring her because the weather was awful.

This afternoon :pI spent 3 hours bring my other dd to the doctor, get meds etc. for strep. I'm starting to get a bad headache and sore throat and it is very foggy outside. It will be dark soon, which means that I would have to drive dd in the fog and dark. I have a hard enough time driving at night because of my vision but it's extremely difficult when the weather is bad. I'm amazed at how many people still bring their kids to activities when it is awful out. Last week we had near blizzard conditions when I would have been picking dd up from dance. It turns out that they didn't cancel class and she heard that a good amount of the class still made it.

Am I a wimp for not wanting to risk getting into an accident? Of course I feel bad that we payed money for dance and she is missing it. I also feel bad because I don't want her to be behind because she is missing a lot. On the other hand, it doesn't seem worth the risk to me. We're supposed to have another winter storm tomorrow night so she may have to miss class again.

DD also noticed that most of the girls at her level never miss class no matter what. DD cares about her grades and wants to maintain her A average so if she has tons of homework and studying for tests she feels it is more important to stay home.

I'm curious what other think about this

[Elisabeth in IL]

For me it really depends on how bad the weather is. I didn't take the boys to swim this past Thursday because we were in the middle of a snow storm (most of it hit that night); I had a feverish 2 yo; and I had slipped through the intersection at the end of the Y's driveway and hit another vehicle. Needless to say, I'm a bit snow shy at the moment.

[momofkhm]

so weather during activities isn't much. Yes there was snow 2 weeks ago, well in the forecast. DD's basketball game was not canceled so we went. The roads ended up not being bad at all. Around here they seem to cancel activities for what ends up being minor weather. So when the major weather does happen, of course everything is canceled.

You have to be the one to decide to go or not. I remember a year or so ago there was a discussion on the board about playing baseball in the thunder. The parents who do take their kids out of the game are the ones who are frowned upon, but they are the smart ones. Other parents wait for someone to call the game, wishing all the time that someone would make the decision but do not take their child out of the game even though the know they should. You have to be the judge for you and your child.

[mommylaw]

We usually make every effort to be at practice. If I was coming down with strep though, we'd stay home.

[Plaid Dad]

It depends a lot on how bad the weather is. I take ice and heavy snow seriously because of where we live. I would also not take a child out who may be coming down with a serious illness - both for the child's sake and for the others in the group.

[hpymomof3]

I wasn't bringing my sick dd to dance. She would have stayed home while I took her sister to dance. I on the other hand think I may be coming down with it.

My biggest concern is driving when I feel the weather is treacherous. For instance, tomorrow night they are calling for blizzard conditions. What's difficult is when it isn't snowing when I need to leave but they expect it to start. Last week this happened and luckily we stayed home. If we had gone I don't know if we would have made it home. To top it all off I have a lot of difficulty seeing at night if there is any precipitation at all.

[RoughCollie]

If the weather is too bad (or will be by the time I pick up the kids), I do not take my kids to karate.

Plenty of other kids show up every time, but I told my kids that they are worth more to me than karate is to them. Period.

If it is snowing when we are supposed to leave and it is forecast to be more than a dusting, we stay home. If the roads are, or will be, icy, we stay home.

If it is raining and DH cannot pick up the kids, we stay home. I can't see well enough to drive home in the dark if it is raining. Usually DH can retrieve them, though.

[Kris]

If I have any doubt that I will be able to make the trip safely -- there *and* back -- we stay home. It's just not worth it.

With the snow and ice this past week, I had to make that decision several times and I was glad I did. I was told by my neighbors that our road was "good" and took off Saturday afternoon to find that there was nothing "good" about it. I hit the first big hill and slid all the way down -- it was nothing but a sheet of ice at 1:30 in the afternoon. There was nothing to be done but keep going, but I was really worried about getting up the hill on the way home. Thankfully, it got warm enough that most of it had melted off by the time I had to do that.

The other thing my son tried on me is if I don't want to bring him home, can someone else do it? What he didn't realize was that if I didn't feel safe driving on that road, I sure wouldn't want him in a car with someone else trying to do it.

I know he wants to do his "out" things and we do our best to keep our commitments. But I'm the "pilot" of my car and the final decisions are mine, as well as the responsibility. If I'm out there when I shouldn't be and something happens -- heaven forbid I hurt someone else! -- I would never be able to forgive myself.

[Tracey in TX]

We normally go to practices even when weather is bad, within reason. Tornado warnings, lightening w/ outdoor practices, major ice, and poor visibility (fog,rain, snow) are reasons to cancel. We're a very sports-oriented family, but my children's safety comes first.
It comes down to common sense parenting. No coach or instructor can tell you what makes sense for your family.

[Jenny in Atl]

Active tornado warnings or ice storms will keep me home... not worth the effort.

[OC Mom]

My dd had an out-of-town dance competition last week. We had already paid for it, and had planned for months to meet with friends. The day before we were supposed to leave, the state police closed down the highway to our destination because of the weather conditions. They re-opened it the next day but were expecting more snow...it just wasn't worth the risk.

Dd thought that her dad and I were the meanest fuddy-duddies in the world for canceling. And I hated not seeing my friends, and throwing away that entry fee. But that just was not the hill I was willing to die on (literally).

[momo4]

Heavy snow and sicknesses keep us home for safety's sake. Otherwise, we try to make every practice to support the team and get the most out of the activity. We would probably go out in bad weather for a game though.