Do you make your kid wear a coat?

Yes, even though my kids are now 20 and 18! DS is always trying to sneak out without one when he walks Turriff, and I always make him come back and get one. DD has Aspergers and isn't very good at choosing appropriate clothing, so she always checks with me before she goes out that she is presentable.

That could have been my son. He'd leave the house in a coat, but pull off his sweatpants and wear shorts at school. After about 4th grade, I gave up. If he was cold, it was on him.

I made sure mine left the house with weather appropriate gear but by school age it was up to them to wear it, or not. They knew if they felt cold. I only insisted when the temps were in the negative numbers and even then I had no control over what they wore while at school. They could leave home in jeans and fleece but change into the pe clothes kept at school and I might not ever know they wore them at recess outside.

Nope, when they were younger I made them take one with them even if they didn't wear one. They are now 16 and 12 and old enough to know how to dress. IMO DD(16) never dresses warm enough and DS(12) who is always cold always dresses with too many layers but it works for them.

We get very cold temps here

I do and it's a struggle sometimes to get my 5yo to wear a coat, mittens, hat, etc. and from what I see and hear from parents of older kids it gets even worse as the kids get older and feel a need to "look cool". Yeah, whatever, how cool are you going to look when your fingers, toes and ears all have frostbite? Ugh.

I too have seen kids out on the playground at DD's elementary school, obviously inappropriately dressed for the cold weather and all I can think is that the kid dressed him or herself that day and either no one gave their clothes a second glance before they headed out the door or the parent in charge was clueless.

And speaking of clueless, LOL, it reminds me of once when my older nieces and nephews were young. My sister had taken on a part time job during the day, my BIL worked second shift so he was in charge while she was working and vice versa. She came home from work early one afternoon in about late April or early May to find her two kids (maybe 3 and 5, not yet school age) outside in the back yard with swimsuits on running through the sprinkler, and the outdoor temp couldn't have been more than 60 degrees F! She told the kids to get inside, and asked BIL, "What the heck were you thinking letting them go out in their swimsuits in the sprinkler today?" His response was, "They wanted to."     

My grandson (16) doesn't LOVE wearing jackets but we take him to the store to pick out one on his own that he WILL wear.  He never picks a really warm one, but layers it with a hoodie so I feel comfortable that he's relatively warm.  Most of his friends, however, can be seen walking to school in all kinds of weather (we're in New England) with just shorts and a sweatshirt on...I freeze just looking at them!

I probably should add the disclaimer that he and all his friends are hockey players and spend a ton of time at rinks, so they've probably built up some sort of immunity to the cold . Me, I just freeze if the temp dips below 50ish.

You can't catch a cold from being cold. So unless the temps are so low as to be dangerous, if a kid wants to wear shorts out in relatively cold weather, I'd let them give it a try. I wouldn't allow it in a situation where they didn't have the option to add layers or change if they realized that they wanted/needed to, but I'd let them give it a whirl.   (Now, I wouldn't allow bare skin like that if they were going to go play in the snow or something.     )

My son and I leave one jacket/coat each in the car all winter long, because we often choose to not bother with a jacket unless we're going to be out for a prolonged time period. It just takes both of us longer to feel cold unless it's really frigid out. The jackets in the car make sure that we never find ourselves in a situation where we are stuck out in the elements without one.

I live in a warmer climate, so our kind of cold isn't likely to cause frostbite (or worse) except maybe a couple of times of year (and yes, it does get below freezing in Florida during the winter.)

...but no, I never made anyone wear a coat. For one, the boys would wear it once and then outgrow it. I did buy heavier long sleeved shirts and hoodies though. One would wear them, one wouldn't. The one that would wear them is just like me even as a kid-cold when it gets below 70. Yesterday was nice, in the 80's. This morning it was 45 when the boy left for school. He had shorts on, walked outside and ran back inside and changed into jeans. He doesn't like the cold at all. The other kid still won't wear a coat, but will bitch and complain about the cold until I tell him to put more clothes on and even then he won't. 

Kids are weird.

Young school age, I told them to take a coat. I couldn't be there at recess and if they didn't want to wear it, they didn't. Both of my boys are like furnaces. DD is always cold. She wears a hoodie in the summer. Both boys also wore shorts year round. Even with snow on the ground. My oldest would at least wear his letterman jacket with his shorts! In college, the only time pants were on his body was for lab classes and they were required.

Replying before reading anyone else's responses first...I'm on my second round with a 7th grade boy and I refuse to make coats a battleground anymore. It was 32 degrees here this morning, and my son went to the bus stop in a short-sleeved shirt and knit joggers (which, by the by, are a horrible trend in Jr High fashion and I cannot wait to see it die, lol). I think he's insane, but at 13, he's old enough to know better.

If I lived someplace where there were serious exposure/frostbite issues then I'd alter my stance most likely. As it stands, my requirements for leaving the house are that your clothes be clean and fit well. That's it, except for the girl where we don't do the ass-cheek baring shorts and we don't do yoga pants outside the house.

I do! If I didn't, my oldest would never wear one! Crazy kids!

In elementary school it was not an issue with my oldest son. He just would put it on. But in middle school he decided he hated it. We fought a lot about it. I told him it is Colorado and you will freeze. He didn't care. Finally we came to the agreement that I won't nag about a coat, but you better never tell me you are cold. And that has worked wonderfully for me. He didn't ever wear a coat until this year when he got a letter jacket. Now he will wear that. He also is a kid that wears shorts and a t-shirt or Underarmour or Nike shirt every day. I don't fight that battle either.

My daughter is cold by nature so it is totally not an issue with her.

My youngest is still in elementary but he HATES to be cold so even in May if it is a chilly day he wears his coat and hat and mittens. LOL! I am anxious to see how that changes as he gets older - if it does.

I just have to say, this is awesome!! Had me chuckling!

I had this kid in preschool on a field trip in October and it was freaking cold outside. I was freezing. OMG put on your damn coat, child! My mother bought him a nice coat at Gymboree and he would NOT wear it. For anything. My sweet child was a tyrant at that age. I am sure people thought I was the worst mother ever. He wouldn't wear it.