Yes. Just tell him fine, if he doesn't want to wear a winter coat, he doesn't have to. Then keep your mouth shut. One windy, snowy day when he's dressed only in a sweatshirt which does NOT stop the wind and gets wet with snow later, he will wear a winter coat!!

Ok I've seen too many things that debunk the "wear a coat or get sick" mind set. And regardless your teenager will learn when his body needs a coat. He'll learn for himself. Faster if you're not pushing it. Let peace come in. Just tell him you'll still recommend it but you're not going to fight it. Personally I have two kids and I HATE wearing coats. I still make the kids wear them but I don't. Now, getting the car stuck in 9 inches of snow while wearing sandels and short sleeves will teach you SOMETHING. For me as I dug my tires out of the snow while freezing I decided to start keeping coats in the car. That way I didn't have to remember the coat but if a need arose I'd have one handy. I actually keep three in the car, that way if they don't get put back right away its ok.

My daughter is 4 and she often resists wearing her winter coat, too ("It's too puffy, mama" and lots of other little complaints she comes up with). My answer is "wear it or carry it." I let her decide and she always eventually puts it on. One thing I try to do with this feisty little one of mine is to give her a choice whenever possible. Obviously there's a big difference between a 4 year old and a 13 year old, but that's my answer for what it's worth! It seems to me that the coat battle is not worth fighting.... save your energy for the other things on your CTUS list, which seem much more important to me!

Yes; give up the battle or put a couple of twice a winter limits on: temps below 20 degrees or more than a foot of snow -- because if you get reported to Child Services you will chuck both the tv and the computer! I lucked out this year as they drive to HS together -- sometimes to indulge me they will throw coats in the back seat but since they are only out from the parking lot to the school and back; it is okay. And for football games, skiing, parades and such, the coats in the trunk; a good third of the time they end up wearing them.

I admire your win on the "no tv during the week" argument -- I lost that one since my husband will not give it up and we have a very open house.

I've stopped fighting this one, as part of my campaign for the kids to learn their own lessons.

My philosophy on the coat: my kids know whether they are cold better than I do. Same for being warm. The choice is wear it or carry it, always has been.

Food: eat it or don't. I know what's on the table is healthy and good for you; you know better than I do how hungry you are. I've never known a child to go hungry in the presence of food.

Refusal to drink milk may be a sign of an allergy; before my daughter was diagnosed with celiac, she avoided bread.

Believe me it is a no-win situation when you adopt these practices; you are bound to hear from others what you ought to be doing, to which I promptly respond, "If you mean to tell me you are offering free babysitting, when can you come over?"

Angela, that is a good back up plan. I can't even imagine the 9 inches of snow in sandals--now *that* sounds like a story.

I always encourage my Eldest to wear a coat, but I feel that at almost-14, he'll know enough to wear a coat if he gets cold enough at the bus stop. As for Middle and Youngest, they do not get the option!

A battle you will never win. My boys insist all the time that they are fine in a hooded sweatshirt. My oldest wore only that while camping upstate NY in October (snow) and completely ignored the warm jacket I packed. They'll figure it out.

Yes, my boys are the same way, and have refused to wear coats since late elementary school! Of course, we live in Houston, Texas, so we are not facing many sub-zero days. However, they will wear super warm athletic shirts (like Under Armor Cold Gear) under their shirts and hoodies. Because it has the Under Armor logo and isn't really a coat, I guess it's cool.

Are his lips blue? Then I wouldn't worry about it. He'll wear one (quietly) when he gets cold enough. Also, he's a teenager, they are just more active than you and I and are producing more heat. He probably really ISN'T that cold.

To Amy: Your little ones should be encouraged to wear their coats. They tend to lose body heat faster than others and may not have the understand that they can just put their coat on when then are cold. Plus, you're still "bigger" than they are! And you're the mommy, that's why!

My son (now 20) wouldn't wear a coat to save his life. He said he was warm enough in a sweatshirt. This is the same kid who wore jeans & a sweatshirt all summer long. I bought him a very expensive stylish coat from Abercrombie, and it still sat in the closet 95% of the time. He's still alive in spite of not wearing a coat for several winters. I say, let him wear what he wants - save the fight for the battle over cigarettes and/or alcohol.

You won't win this one; I fought it with both my boys. But it should be said that we live in Texas where it is relatively balmy. They will decide someday that it is more comfortable to wear a coat and be warm - mine decided it when they went to college in Lubbock! Let them pick the coat, it might help.

My rule is wear what you are comfortable in but you have to at least BRING a coat if its cold and we're going in the car. They might be totally fine walking from the car to the store or wherever in a sweatshirt, but if the car breaks down in the middle of a snowstorm I don't want anyone dying of hypothermia!

I say give up the fight. He will wear his coat when he wants to. He is a teenager and will not do what you say mostly because you WANT him to. I don't remember who mentioned it, but cold weather does not cause sickness. Viruses and bacteria cause sickness.

I'm just so grateful and feel so supported to know that I'm not the only one who's let this topic drop. I will continue to let my son figure it out for himself, only now will feel less "defeated". Whew!

Not worth the battle, I tried fighting this for many years to no avail and finally gave up, none of three teenagers have worn a winter jacket (unless they want to) and although I told them if they got sick they still would have to go to school, none of them ever got sick from it.

I did find that once I gave up the battle, if it was cold enough they usually have enough sense to wear it, probably because they got frozen.

All teenagers love the hooded sweatshirts and I found some that are sheep lined and zip up, and they wear those most days

My son is only 4 1/2 years old, but he too, refuses to wear a coat. Lucky for him, we live in California, granted, Northern California. Still, these days, I convince him to wear a long sleeve shirt, and then I say, "Fine, be cold." Strangely, he never seems cold.

I remember going through this at age 15. I really didn't like the coast that were fashionable for girls my age to wear. I remember my mother telling me fine! you don't have to wear the coat. but do not tell me how cold you are when we get outside. At that point, I wanted to prove my mother wrong and didn;t wear the coat or say how cold I was. When I was about 18 I got tired of freezing my butt off and started wearing a coat. I think you have won many battles that are more important! put it in the battles I no longer fight column.

Fight on, sister! If nothing but for yourself! Why? Because the minute he gets sick, guess who stays home to hear the whining and coughing and sneezing...and now YOUR sick! Its tough love. I had a short stint with the coat wearing issue with my step son (age 9) who walked out of the house for school in 32 degree weather - the temperature of all things begining to FREEZE! Fortunately the school is practically around the corner, thus, I took his coat up there, told his teacher no recess and extra math. Coat issue solved. I was contemplating going overboard, and making him go with only a t-shirt, sleep at night with the window wide open and a fan blowing,...all things to drive the point that it's winter!...but then I reconsidered the 'get sick' aspect.

I know in our school the lockers are so narrow that this is the reason the kids prefer to chill as they just in a heated bus into a very heated school.

Well, I gave up on this one - sort of. I let my "non-coat wearer" choose ANY sweatshirt he wanted from the mall. He choose the fur lined one! It's warm, it's cool looking, we are both happy - for now. I don't want to be a helicopter mom, so I save my fights for important things. P.S. my hubby has PhD in microbiology and he swears you cannot get sick from being cold!

Give it up.

I have two boys. One bundles up as soon as we dip below 75, the other just wears a hooded sweatshirt when it's in the 20's and, knocking on wood, I can count on one hand the number of times they have been sick. They just have different comfort levels.

I stopped fighting with the oldest about what to wear a long time ago. 2 years ago he went on a hiking trip with his boy scout troop and was advised to take rain gear. I reminded/nagged him about it the whole time he was packing and he swore he didn't need it. Of course, it POURED down rain and he got soaked. There was no way I was driving it out to him so he had to improvise and wear TRASH BAGS over his clothes to stay dry (Talk about dorky). Since then, he's never forgotten his rain gear AND always plans ahead and checks the weather before trips.

Sometimes, the lessons they learn on their own are far more powerful than the ones you try to teach them.