<p>My daughter will be starting college this Fall at Syracuse University, and I have been trying to get her to go shopping with me so that I can get her a pair of heavy snow boots, but she adamently refuses. She says they "don't look attractive." She plans on just wearing her pink cowgirl boots and insists that she'll be "fine" in them, but I know she won't be. These boots aren't waterproof. They've got no insulation and they don't even go up that high. She was okay wearing them through the Winter here because I drove her to school and back whenever it snowed, but I won't be there to do that in Syracuse, and I don't think she'll last very long when she has to walk over a mile through deep snow in zero degree weather. Anyone have any advice on how to convince your child to wear snow boots when it's appropriate, or should I just give up and send her with what she has?</p>
<p>experience is a wonderful thing and hard earned. Sometimes the kids just have to figure it out for themselves. Let her go and be careful not to say I told you so if she decides she needs a pair of snowboots ;)</p>
<p>send her away...she'll learn after that first snow in Syracuse</p>
<p>I undertand how your D feels about the snow boots your thinking about. I'm going to school in the mountains, but I'm coming from southern MD where it's rare to get snow amounting to more than 2-3". I'm not looking forward to wearing ugly snow boots either. the snow will probably come along before Thanksgiving even comes, so let her wear her cowgirl boots and find out how much she needs the other boots. I bet at least by then and definately by Christmas, she'll be open to the ugly, yet more appropriate, boots.</p>
<p>Time to realize that your little girl has grown up and whether or not she wears snow boots is her decision.</p>
<p>When it comes to schools in snow areas, some students don't wear snow boots because the walkways get cleaned quickly. Some students go around in tennis shoes during the winter. </p>
<p>If your D ends up needing boots, there are stores in Syracuse where she can buy them.</p>
<p>I live in Minnesota and I have not worn boots since elementary school when they were required for recess. Most likely, she really will be fine.</p>
<p>the most important thing IMO are the soles.
She needs boots that will give her traction on slippery ice.
I wore my goretex hiking boots for several years when out in the snow, if you are moving, your feet dont get that cold
YOu can also put chemical foot warmers in your boots in case you are going to be doing something like sitting outside at a game.
I think I actually did wear my Ariats last year, but I got NorthFace snow boots too, cause I didn't want my cowboy boots to get wet- plus cowboy boots just dont work with snowshoes ;) ( snow in Seattle is sloppy, but dry snow doesn't really seem cold at all- I dont know what the snow is like in syracuse)</p>
<p>Agree 100% with Northstarmom.</p>
<p>I don't intend for the following to be as cruel as its going to sound, but if this is a serious post, I think you and your daughter are going to have much more substantial issues when she goes to school than whether or not she wears snow boots.</p>
<p>njdad, your post brought back memories. We live in the tropics and our son goes to college in a very cold snowy area. His reaction when forced to try on snowboots was pure regression to third grade: do I have to? In spite of objections, he got them and -- mirabile dictu -- around December I got a "Mom, you were right" phone call.</p>
<p>I think the determining factor with your daughter will be what the other kids wear. If everyone else is wearing clunky boots, then they won't look so alien. Let her get there and find out. She can always order on line if she can't find the right style locally. </p>
<p>Now on the otherhand if everyone's wearing flip-flops in the snow . . . (I've heard it happens on some campuses. Some kind of macho endurance thing.)</p>
<p>It doesn't sound like his D is going for a macho image. Hearing how well the more northern schools with more snow handles clean-up, I've now decided that I'm getting some hiking boots instead of full-blown snow boots. But I'm not getting them yet, since I won't need them right away.</p>
<p>It's not a macho thing. It's a look thing. She's just very concerned with how she looks. I wouldn't bother worrying about it all that much, except I've seen for myself that her cowgirl boots are no good for walking around in harsh weather. There was one day about a year and a half ago when she wore them home through the pouring rain. Her feet were completely drenched and she had a terrible cold for about two weeks after.</p>
<p>dont they sell "cute" snow boots. They sell "cute" rainboots. She will get over it eventually, hopefully.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, true snow boots usually aren't cute. :( They're big, bulky, and darkly colored.</p>
<p>I have the lace up ones ( and no- they are not PINK
<a href="http://www.zappos.com/n/p/dp/2255808/c/31117.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.zappos.com/n/p/dp/2255808/c/31117.html</a>
But they are very well made & cute even though they are defintely snow boots</p>
<p>Well, they do sell very fashionable snow boots in some places. My daughter has a pair that she just loved that she purchased while she was living in Russia, but unfortunately one of the heels broke.... so she will need new ones in New York. (I don't know if they were "true" snow boots, but they were designed for fashionable wear in a place where young people tend not to own cars and where winters can bre brutal -- they were lined and they keep her feet as warm as could be expected). Now obviously the selection of fashionable snow boots was much better in Russia than it is here in California, where the only snow boots sold are those designed for wearing at ski resorts. So if there is one thing I have learned is that shopping for winter clothing in a warm climate is destined for failure: whatever we buy isn't going to be what the other kids are wearing. My son, who never gave a hoot about fashion, never wore the parka I insisted he buy, but insisted on purchasing a 3/4 length men's wool coat when he came home for winter break from his east coast LAC.</p>
<p>So wait. The local stores are much more likely to stock whatever it is your kid will decide she wants to wear, whenever it is that she decides she wants them.</p>
<p>NJ dad:
A cold is a viral infection. No amount of "cold" will give you a cold. Unless we are talking about pneumonia, frostbite, etc, your D should be fine, albeit a bit uncomfortable.</p>
<p>My D is starting school at Tufts in Boston, coming from sunny southern California. Her idea of winter clothing is wearing closed-toed shoes and a hooded sweatshirt. Fortunately, her roomate is from the northeast, and we assume she will be better at giving clothing advice than we are. We plan to let her shop for a parka and boots after she figures out what she needs and what fits her sense of "style." We can't even buy "winter" clothes here until November/December and what the stores sell here won't hold up to a Boston blizzard. Hopefully, she will figure out what she needs before the first big storm............or she will be very cold. And when (and if) she calls to tell us about it, we will be appropriately sympathetic, offer our advice and enjoy the 72 degree weather in our shorts and t-shirts.</p>
<p>My D loved soem from Delias. They are from last year, and are on clearance:</p>
<p>If she really does hate them, I agree that the worst part of cowboy boots is the slippery issue. See if she will compromise and get something more shoe like that has a safe sole.</p>
<p>DS also claimed he would not "need" them. My response, "OK, but IF for some strange reason you decide you do at a later date, you can go SHOPPING for them and you can PAY for them."</p>
<p>He has snow boots in his box for college with his new WINTER coat.</p>
<p>Kat</p>
<p>Agree with all the others who say she'll figure it out herself. Probably based mostly on what others are wearing and perhaps a tiny bit on practical considerations.</p>
<p>My S has not owned snow boots for at least 5 years and we live in Maine! Sneakers it is, all winter long.</p>
<p>Any money you spend on snow boots before she takes off will be money down the drain. Take yourself out to dinner instead!</p>