Layers!

As I watch all the children navigating Turku on their own or being pushed in strollers, I have to admire both their patience and the patience of their parents in the careful dressing. Every kid has on layers of socks. How do I know? I see the socks being taken off in restaurants or the library and then put back on in preparation for going outside.

We moved to New Hampshire before Sophia was 2. She refused to wear mittens or boots. I raided Lucy Cousin's books to make my own picture book entitled "Maisy Wears Her Mittens". It was pro-mitten propaganda.The first pair of boots I bought for Sophia she never wore. They became the secret final resting place of a small mouse. That secret was discovered by Ginny! I may never live it down.

Above is Frances, a young Finn of British descent. She is cheerfully prepared to stroll back home from the library. Her mother follows the directions for dressing shown above. This wonderful graphic is provided to parents in a book entitled "Having Children in Finland".

If only I could get Sophia to layer up. She wears nothing but a t-shirt under her coat and then complains about the cold. I have learned to look on the bright side. I just keep saying, "At least she's wearing a hat."