I am pretty sure my mom would have wrestled me to the ground and put a coat on me if I refused to wear a coat during the winter months, or at the very least she might have threatened a bar of soap when I talked back. Ginger4’s refusal to wear a coat (and even bring a coat to preschool) sparked either a fierce drive in me to become the next Mother-of-the-Year, or the next candidate for the looney bin.  Our routine doesn’t change too much from day-to-day, and the expectation is always lined up for him before we leave for Ginger3’s bus departure: 1) put your shoes and coat on and 2) get your school bag ready.  When I arrived back at the house to find neither of these tasks were accomplished, I calmly reminded him what needed to happen for me to take him to school. That’s when the proverbial crap hit the fan… I don’t like when kids try negotiating the non-negotiable. When he refused to get his coat on, I insisted he at least bring it to school. At this suggestion, he complained that if he had it with him, his teacher would make him wear it at playground time.  (Smart teacher, methinks!) Whatevs, kid… just get in the car. I brought that darn coat with me, put my seat warmer on, lowered all the windows and drove to school with the littlest ginger shivering in the backseat. He was so stubborn! It took him halfway to school to admit he was wrong and that he needed his coat. Satisfaction set in, Ginger4 admitted he needed his coat, and gosh darnit, he even zippered it on his own! #Parentwin