‘Kids these days don’t know the magic of listening to their local radio station to find out if their school was closed because of the snow.’ Never a truer word was spoken.
I’d actually forgotten about this, but as soon as I saw it shared on social media, memories of tuning into Highland Radio with my fingers and toes crossed came flooding back. Those were the days.
Nowadays, schools can contact us all directly via messaging systems or apps with the news, although there’s always plenty of speculation on Letterkenny Babies Facebook page as soon as the first snowflakes start to fall: ‘They should make a decision and let us know one way or the other.’ ‘Sure, it’s only a light sprinkling – no need to close!’ ‘Well, I’m not sending mine in, even if it is open!’ And so, it goes.
A snow closure must be a tough decision for a school principal to make. Is it the school principal or the board of management who decides? I don’t know. Either way, it’s bound to be a tough decision to make. They’re damned if they do and damned if they don’t. It’s definitely one of those situations where you can’t keep everyone happy.
Needless to say, the kids themselves tend to be thrilled to hear of a snow day. There’s the obvious elation of a sneaky day off school with no homework to boot, but a day spent outside playing in the snow is the true prize.
My kids dug out their wellies and gloves before they even had breakfast. Plastic sleighs were resurrected from the recesses of the shed, and off they went.
At first, I thought the snow was too powdery for snowballs or sleighing, but I was proven wrong. It’s been lovely to see photos of children across the county standing proudly beside snowmen and igloos; there were some very impressive specimens on the go. It’s also lovely to see that playing in the snow brings as much joy as it ever did to children – even this technological generation! Turf bags are still deemed to be every bit as good for optimal sleighing too.
The snow also creates opportunities for us to meet our neighbours or get to know them a little better as we brave the cold to supervise proceedings. You could even invite folks in for a hot chocolate to break the ice – shameless pun intended.
Hearing that the schools will be closed unexpectedly can cause major headaches for parents who need to organise childcare before facing the elements to get to work themselves. The hazardous driving conditions and slippery surfaces regularly cause a lot of misery for folks, so the snow isn’t a welcome visitor across the board. I like to see it come, but I’m also relieved to see it melt away. However we feel about snow as adults, when it comes to innocent, carefree fun for kids, the snow is hard to beat.
Louise Flanagan is an admin of Letterkenny Babies Facebook page and the author of the children’s book series, Dragonterra and Dream Beasts. www.dragonterra.ie
