Dear People of Washington, D.C. -

It's not that I don't appreciate the support, really I do. I'm sure there are lots of people out there who wouldn't. But as a parent, I realize I'm not the cat's meow and I could use all the help I can get. So let me be the first to say thank you for all the observations and advice you've offered over the past week since the weather has turned a bit chillier. But here's something to think about before you stop that lady on the street to tell her the baby in the stroller she's pushing is terribly underdressed for the weather and will freeze to death if she doesn't put a hat and socks on the baby as soon as possible:
  1. perhaps she has tried to put socks on the baby
  2. perhaps she has tried to put a hat on the baby
  3. perhaps she has tried to put mittens on the baby
  4. perhaps the baby is wearing warm clothing and a sweater
  5. perhaps she is only going down the street a couple of blocks and will be back inside before the baby even notices it is cold out
  6. perhaps she has three pairs of socks, two hats, a pair of mittens and a pair of shoes in that giant bag she's slung over her shoulder and she is just sick of bending over to pick one of them up from the pavement every five seconds as the baby yanks them off and drops them to the ground
  7. perhaps she knows that a blanket would suffer the same fate and it's just not worth it
  8. perhaps she knows it's a tad bit chilly, but she was born in North Dakota and she knows what real cold is and this ain't it
  9. perhaps it is 60 degrees and the wind is not blowing and there's not a cloud in the sky
  10. perhaps you are all cold weather wussies who need to mind your own business
Sincerely yours,

Alice