Cincinnati recently shut down for three days because of a few inches of snow. My 16-year old daughter wrote this touching article for her school newspaper on how snow days are different as we grow older:
I almost wish I didn't have these snow days off school. It was depressing sitting in my house all day, working away to meet adult-like goals rather than simply enjoying the unexpected free time to play in the snow or sled like I did when I was younger. …
And so the sleds lay dormant in our garage. Each member of the family worked quietly and separately in different rooms. Our driveway even lacked the telltale crunched-in snow footprints left by excited children running around in the snow. Now, the snow seems more of a nuisance than an actual blessing. …
Snow days used to be a magical experience of hot cocoa, extra hours of sleep and snow angels made by wet and slightly cold children on the crisp blanket of white. Now, my snow days are business transactions, time spent typing a seemingly worthless and pointless paper on the changing family structure in America. …
I somehow feel that I am losing an integral part of my childhood as I transition from teen-hood to adulthood. With only a year and a half left at home, it's sad that I am unable to soak up every moment of my remaining time at home without worrying about the consequences of time spent just having plain old fun.
For more of my daughter's writing, see:
