Why would you need an umbrella? | Toddling Through the Silicon Valley | Cheryl Bac | Palo Alto Online |

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Toddling Through the Silicon Valley

By Cheryl Bac

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About this blog: I'm a wife, stay-at-home mom, home cook, marathon runner, and PhD. I recently moved to the Silicon Valley after completing my PhD in Social Psychology and becoming a mother one month apart. Before that, I ran seven marathons incl...  (More)

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Why would you need an umbrella?

Uploaded: Feb 7, 2015
Last year my son and I listened to "My Brown Bear Barney" being read to us during Woodside Library's very popular musical storytime. It is an adorable book about a little girl who brings her teddy bear with her everywhere she goes. Throughout the story she talks about all of the things she takes with her when she goes shopping, goes to school, gardens, etc.

The adults in the room all had a chuckle when one of the kids asked why she would bring an umbrella when she went out shopping with her mom. Clearly bringing an umbrella along "just in case it rained" was a foreign concept. Maybe if they read the story again now, this concept would have made sense.

As a kid I remember spending a lot of time outside in the rain. It was fun to run around, jump in puddles, and even go swimming. As a camper, we ventured out on overnight canoe trips rain or shine. And, similarly, while marathon training, I would usually run regardless of rain, sun or snow. We rarely let the weather stop us from going outside.

Right now our family is spending most of these rainy days indoors because our daughter is still too young to enjoy playing in the rain. However, we are making sure that our son gets time to jump, splash and run through puddles in between showers. I'm looking forward to more outdoor rainy day fun in the years to come.

What are your favorite rainy day activities? Do you venture outside or stay warm and dry indoors.
Community.
What is it worth to you?

Comments

Posted by Mother of 4 , a resident of Palo Verde School,
on Feb 7, 2015 at 10:54 am

We love rainy day walks to and from school and leave a few minutes early so we don't have to rush.

We put on raincoats, boots and take fun umbrellas, splash and jump in puddles and wet piles of leaves and get to school with red faces and smiles. Coming home we take even longer and end up having to change all our clothes into dry ones before making hot chocolate and hot toast.

We laugh at friends sitting in steamed up cars, hiding from the rain and sitting in lines outside school while we walk past them and get to the classrooms quicker than they do.

Great memories being made. Enjoy the rainy days. By the way, we have a baby snuggly and I have a large raincoat so that a baby can be snug inside as we walk to school. Europeans make plastic rain covers for strollers too. They often don't have any choice about taking baby out in the rain in a stroller.


Posted by Cheryl Bac, a Palo Alto Online blogger,
on Feb 7, 2015 at 3:42 pm

Cheryl Bac is a registered user.

Mother of 4 - Great to hear that you are having fun in the rain. You are right, if you are going to venture outside in the rain, having the right equipment can keep the outing more enjoyable for kids of all ages.


Posted by Sea-Seelam Reddy, a resident of College Terrace,
on Feb 12, 2015 at 12:52 am

It is one of those things about umbrella:

- save your laundry bill
- if you have a friend/family with you; they do not have an umbrella; two can get closer to appreciate each other
- avoid getting 'cold' and wet
- fun of managing a windy day/night with umbrella going in a different direction
- It is romantic and cool

Respectfully


Posted by Cheryl Bac, a Palo Alto Online blogger,
on Feb 12, 2015 at 1:55 pm

Cheryl Bac is a registered user.

Sea-Seelam Reddy- thanks for commenting. Great list of reasons for needing an umbrella.


Posted by Ah, a resident of Menlo Park: Downtown,
on Feb 13, 2015 at 6:04 pm

Back east last summer and my son asked "why is it raining? It's summer!"

He'd never seen rain in the summer before. Ahh.... california boy! It led to a great conversation about micro-climates.

Now he doesn't understand why there's not much snow in Tahoe.... no rain here, no snow there!

However, now I have kids that think they want to live back east where it actually rains and snows. Of course then he wouldn't be going swimming this nice 78 degree weekend in February.


Posted by Cheryl Bac, a Palo Alto Online blogger,
on Feb 14, 2015 at 9:49 am

Cheryl Bac is a registered user.

Ah - Thank you so much for sharing your kids' experiences. You are right, I'm sure some people miss the seasons. But, as you said, how can you complain when it is 78 degrees in February. Gorgeous!


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