Learning to Love the Rain

Who ever heard of galoshes that couldn’t get wet? If I am not mistaken, golashes are rain boots; rain boots ARE golashes! They are made to get wet. But I have recently learned that this is just not the case when it comes to Hello Kitty rain boots. No, sorry, that little pink cat doesn’t like baths. She prefers to stay inside where it is dry and clean.

Humph.

This is quite the dilemma for any mom (me) who purchased said boots at the beginning of a very long rainy season (October in Seattle) for a rather OCD three-year-old (Sophia).

But it’s not just the boots. Sophia really doesn’t like any of her shoes—or coats, or pants, or hats for that matter—to get wet. How on earth do I get a three-year-old to understand and accept the fact that she is going to get wet, she does have to walk between the house and the car regardless of whether it has rained, and she will be just fine?

We’ve tried dancing--that kind of works, but its tough when I’m in a hurry. You just can’t always dance to and from the car.

We’ve tried catching raindrops on our tongues. That does the job some times.

We’ve tried special shoes made just for rainy days. That was a flop.

My initial frustration is that I just want her to wear those stinkin’ boots—for which I now admit I paid too much money—and quit whining. But underneath my irritation from this constant struggle, I really just want her to be happy.

I want her to live through the rainy days, equipped with the right protective gear, and the right attitude. That’s what I’m trying to teach her. Really, the right attitude is much better protection than any kind of rain boot. With the right attitude, you don’t just live through the rainy days, you learn from them, and you learn to love them.