Buying boots

Parent Cafe
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<p>Marian,</p>

<pre><code> I completely understand your concerns, and I empathize with you 100%. I was in this exact same situation last year at around this time, along with blucroo and ldmom06. My daughter was getting ready to go to college in Upstate New York. She didn’t have a pair of proper snow boots, and I was worried sick about her feet. She went off without them, but I bought her a pair online and sent them to her just after she left. Ultimately she fell in love with them and wore them all through the Winter, but even when I had no certainty that she was ever going to wear them, just knowing that she had them gave me peace of mind and enabled me to relax.

  My advice is to do the same thing. Buy a pair for her online now or sometime before she leaves. That way, you'll know that she has them and you'll be able to relax. If you don't, you'll just drive yourself crazy worrying. If you're concerned about making a mistake and not getting the right fit, order two or three pairs, just to be on the safe side. One that's her size, one that's a size below and one that's a size above, and see which pair fits her most comfortably. Then you can send the other two pairs back and get a refund.

  I'd be happy to give you some suggestions as to what to get for her if you would like. Just reply here or send me a PM and let me know.

</code></pre>

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<p>I agree with you on that point. A kid who slips on the ice is a kid who destroys the laptop computer he or she is carrying. Considering the cost of laptops, I think the kids should all be required to wear baseball spikes, but I guess the people who take care of the floors in the academic buildings might object.</p>

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<p>LOL :slight_smile: That’s a good one!</p>

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<p>Speaking of ice, if your kids are new to the North and will be driving, there are many new precautions they’ll need to understand: </p>

<p>Slower speeds. </p>

<p>Understand that “black ice” is invisible but treacherous.</p>

<p>Bridges freeze, so even if it’s going well along the highway, slow down on bridges. </p>

<p>Take the time each morning to clear the snow and ice from the windshield; use the engine if necessary to defrost. Allow an extra 5 minutes daily.</p>

<p>Carry a blanket, sand, or plastic treads in the trunk in case you get stuck in a snowbank and need the traction to get out of a parking space, etc.</p>

<p>Keep antifreeze levels up in the car; also windshield-cleaner fluid. Trucks
splash the slush backwards on the highway, but it’s no problem if you have
that cleaner-fluid in there.</p>

<p>MUST have an ice scraper and snow brush for the car, in place before the first snowfall; then just keep it there all season. In deep-snow belts, an old broom in the trunk is helpful to push off all the snow without soaking yourself!</p>

<p>If they’re driving home on vacation, tell them it’s okay to take a motel room if the road conditions become impossible. I had to do this twice this past winter myself, just 90 miles from home! Don’t plan to drive home “the day before Christmas…” Instead, make it 2 days before, in other words, always leave that window of flexibility on calendar dates. You can’t always be compulsive about meeting planned schedules with this weather. </p>

<p>99% of all accidents (I’m guessing) will be prevented with this advice: Take Extra Time.</p>

<p>And parents shouldn’t worry themselves sick. In my view, drivers in bad snow belts are safer, more cautious, more responsible than when I’ve lived in snow-free southern climates. Your kid should also follow suit and slow down from the old habits, if s/he’s a speeder or last-minute rusher-out-the-door in the a.m.</p>

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<p>That’s a great post, paying3tuitions.</p>

<p>I would add that those of you from snow belts should think twice about driving in more southern climates (e.g., Washington, DC) on any occasion when there is even a trace of snow or sleet to deal with. We borderline-Southerners don’t know how to drive in the white stuff. We will kill you.</p>

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<p>Marian,if still in market for boots…try REI…they have stores in VA and I think in MD. And Welcome to the Cornell Family</p>

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<p>For those ESPECIALLY ICY Ithaca days…I got my son a pair of ICE GRIPPERS that slip over his boots.(The sell them for $15 or so at Dicks Sporting Goods) Last winter was mild by Cornell standards but I am sure your daughter will face some chilly days</p>

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<p>The REI store is on Rockville Pike, on the right, just before Congressional Plaza (if you are heading North)</p>

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<p>Marian, if your daughter is coming home for fall break (early October), she will have a lot of options for shopping for boots at that time. She won’t need them before fall break and probably wouldn’t need them before Thanksgiving.</p>