Opinion : When I was a kid...

...I did NOT have to walk both ways up a hill to get to school and back home. I was however expected to drive through 16" of snow to get back to college.

Back in the day I went to a small Bible college in the southwest corner of Pennsylvania. The place rarely saw snow in the three and a half years that I was there. However, the rare times that it did snow, an inch or two, the place would be "campused." That meant no one could leave the campus until said snow had melted basically.

Ironically, they did believe that the boys/men could drive but the girls/women could not. Another topic, another discussion. At the same time, those of us girls that had cars, said, "Nope, can't take my car to town if I can't go."

Anyway, they always told us, "If you're home for a Christmas break, and there is a snowstorm coming, you have to leave to get back here early." Now how many college kids do you know will drive across the country, before cell phones, just to beat a snowstorm? Not I.

Back in the 80s, it was hard to know just when a storm was coming, let alone how much snow we were going to get. During this particular storm, we had 16" of snow. Now the college president was not happy with the 5 or 6 students from Iowa that could not get back.

"You can drive through it," he said. The guy had never seen 16" of snow I don't believe. My dad, the trucker said, "You are NOT leaving in this storm." The other parents said, "That is insane, you are not leaving!" So we stayed until the roads were barely plowed and headed out in my '73 Plymouth Valiant. We made it back, but we were in deep doodoo when we arrived following what would have been a normal 16-hour drive and I think it turned into 20+.

There was no mercy. We pulled in early in the morning and were expected at classes, where we heard lectures about not planning ahead. I'm sure I sat there grinning knowing that he had a phone call from one of the board members, from Iowa telling him that it was insane to expect us to drive through that storm.

Grinning in the face of someone with authority isn't wise, but sometimes, you just gotta. For the most part, I got along with the college president and his family. Assisting his wife, and hiding kittens for his children, built some bridges over the years.

But every time we get a ton of snow like we did this week, I'm reminded of a guy who flipped out over an inch of snow, let alone two.

However, I'm probably the age now that the college president was then. I hate driving on snow now. Before it never bothered me. Now I look at it twice, and inch across it. Now I worry about the kids going out in "this weather." I ask if they have their gloves and hats in the car. I recommend a bag with back up hats, gloves and scarves, just in case. "Oh and don't forget to put an extra blanket in the car!" I might say.

However, you can bet I'll never tell kids whose brains aren't fully developed to drive through a blizzard. Nope. Not gonna happen. So kids, when mom and dad tell you to stay home, it's because they've seen this weather once or twice. We know better than to test it.

So stay home when it's like this if you can. Get extra winter gear in your cars, extra blankets, make sure the phone is always charged and the tank is full of gas. Don't risk it.

From this toasty living room to yours, stay warm everyone!