The Canadian who hates to drive in snow
Snow is beautiful to look at. I get excited about the first few snowfalls, like everyone else.
When it’s softly falling outside my window, it makes me want to put on a fire and light my (fake) candles and drink hot chocolate because snowwwwwwwwwww! *twirls around romantically in a long woolen scarf*
Of course, then I realize (A) I will have to drive it in, which makes me panicky, or (B) Darling Husband will have to drive in it, and I will worry myself sick.
Yes, I’m the lifelong Canadian who fears driving in snow.
I have never been a good snow-driver. In university, I spent two years tearfully navigating my tiny car 45 minutes (or three hours, depending on snow traffic) into Halifax to get to my classes.
I was so happy to live in Halifax for my final two years (in an apartment with Darling Boyfriend), because I could take the bus to university and not worry about driving in snow.
When we got married and bought our condo in Bedford, I mostly either took the bus (good ol’ #80 or #82) to work, or Darling Husband drove me (score!).
(Sidebar: Remember when I took the bus in snowpants when I was pregnant? I was clearly THE COOLEST.)
We were DINKS (double income, no kids) and had a Jeep at all times. Jeeps have four-wheel drive and are total monsters in snow, so I actually became SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT driving in bad weather. Other vehicles would be skidding off the road, and I’d be plowing ahead gleefully in my Jeep, like I can get through anythinggggggg!
It was short-lived, though, because then we had Baby D, I stopped working full-time, we were totally poor, and traded our heroic Jeep for a crappy sensible car. POOF! My fears of driving in snow were back, with a vengeance, because now I also had a baby in the car with me.
Then, of course, we moved to the country, had Baby C, became even poorer, traded our sensible car for a minivan (also not great in snow), and then I suddenly had TWO kids to drive around in the snow. Plus, since we weren’t in the city anymore, the conditions were usually even worse.
Yesterday morning, it was snowing hard when it was time to leave for preschool. I got three kids into snow gear (my two, plus my good friend’s son), dragged them out to the van, buckled them in, and spent 10 minutes brushing off snow/scraping ice. I backed out of the driveway, spun around, and probably pulled back into the driveway.
Eff preschool! I thought, as I dragged the kids back inside and removed their snowgear. It’s not worth it!
Then, of course, the snow let up and I felt like a total wimp for not taking them. Darling Husband got home from work half an hour later, and ended up driving them in. (In my defence, he said the roads were sh-t and that I “never would have made it.” So I stand by my decision)
It’s only mid-November, guys.
We will have snow until April.
It’s supposed to be an extra-hard winter.
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Heather's Handmade Life 