we teach him too well

Thomas knows that whenever we go outside to play, we have to put on his socks and shoes, his jacket, and his hat. He's generally very good about doing this, but I'm afraid it may have been hammered a bit too deep into his little head.

November is very mild this year. A little chilly, of course, but no so much that I've bothered digging my jacket out of the back of the closet. I'm a hot-natured person, and I rarely wear long sleeves. Even in winter, I'll usually take a jacket with me, but carry it around everywhere, never actually wearing it. There's a heater in my car, and there's always a heater on at the house, so I usually get too hot if I actually wear the jacket.

Thomas and I decided to go play outside the other day, and after I got him all dressed, including his jacket, I told him it was time to go. He stopped dead in his tracks and told me, "You need to wear your jacket." I explained that I didn't have a jacket. He looked at me very seriously and said, "You can't go outside without your jacket! It's cold!"

Well, shoot. I mean, what do you do with that? I was completely floored. On one hand, I didn't want to invalidate what he has been taught by telling him that I didn't need a jacket to play outside, but on the other hand, I knew that he needed to get some energy burned off before naptime. After standing in silence for a moment, I told him that I forgot my jacket at home, but I would wear my sunglasses instead. For whatever bizarre reason, this made perfect sense to him, and off we went.