Baby, it’s cold outside. I mean baby, IT IS COLD OUTSIDE.

When they started telling folks about the artic blast headed our way, it sounded rough. Now that it is here — well, it is rough.

Sunday night schools and daycare centers began announcing closings because they feared conditions might be icy Monday morning. When it became obvious that major icing wasn’t a problem, I wondered why all the closings. I also noted that our local schools went on to classes as planned.

Of course, lots of folks on Facebook weren’t too happy about kids heading out in the freezing weather. I do understand it’s hard to send a child from a warm house, but buses and schools have heat, right.

One person posted a comment about how we went to school in frigid weather back in the good old days. At the risk of sounding like an old person telling worn-out tales about “back when I was growing up,” as I recall school was pretty much in session unless it snowed.

All this reminiscing about the weather of my youth reminded that cold temperatures affected school fashion in the olden days. You see girls way back when only wore dresses or skirts to school. Pants of any length were for wearing at home during playtime.

However, when it got really cold, instead of announcing that school was out, they announced that girls could wear pants to school. Oh happy day. I loved it when it was a dress-in-pants morning.

Corduroy was the choice of well-dressed elementary school girls on frigid days. I had a wonderful pair of light brown slacks that were my favorite. They were worn just enough to be soft and not scratchy.

Add a nice shirt and a pullover sweater and off you went for a great, and warm, day at school. Best part was play period on those days. (If they let us outside). I could run and jump without concern of a skirt flying up, exposing and possibly freezing delicate girl parts.

Yep, you could keep up with the boys on pants days. Dodge ball was a different game without dresses in play.

As I traveled on down memory lane, I tried to remember what we did on cold days in high school. I mean I came of age in the time of mini skirts. It was a challenge to sit down and keep the subject covered, much less keep it warm.

I recall having lots of knee socks –vests and knee socks and plaid wool skirts. If we wore pants in freezing weather, I don’t remember it. Guess we worried more about fashion than warmth as we got older. Also, kick ball was no longer an issue.

How far we have come. Now we are concerned about our kids, who for the most part are growing up in centrally heated and cooled houses, getting too cold or too hot.

The thing school officials are concerned with now is not girls wearing pants instead of dresses. It is girls not wearing too tight, too revealing clothes and guys keeping their britches pulled up.

Oh my, I do sound like an old person ragging on those darn “young folks” who don’t know what it was like when kids were tougher and less prone to freezing up in an artic blast.

So, I think it best I stop now. Yep, I think it’s time to get out of my PJs, and pull on something warm, maybe corduroy.

Yep, it’s cold outside, but hang on chilly kids and concerned parents. It will be 70 by Sunday.