Coddling our kids?

The first week of February brought a couple of fairly cold days to Boulder Valley with early morning temperatures at -10F one day and -18F on another.  For the first time in recent history the school district determined that schools should be closed due to the inclement weather.  It was interesting because this decision prompted a number of letters to the editor in our local paper, the Boulder Daily Camera.  There were people who wrote in on both sides of the issue, but what was interesting was the gender spit on the perspectives:  women were universally in support of the school district’s decision and felt that protecting the kids was paramount, while men were universally concerned that by closing school, we missed an opportunity for our kids to work through adversity and learn how to adapt and be resourceful and resilient.  There are merits in both perspectives, and I suppose that the balance of the two perspectives is essential for the long term survival of our species, but it seems crucial that our young men have opportunities to feel their own strength and inner resources in dealing with uncomfortable situations like getting to school on a cold morning.  The ability to deal with adversity and discomfort is one skill that separates the men from the boys.