It was 27 degrees this morning (wind chill temperature was 21) when daughter left the house to walk to the bus stop. Do you think she had a coat on?

“Mom, I’ve got a sweatshirt in my bag if I get cold,” she said. “I’ll be fine.”

So tell me again, why exactly is it that teens won’t wear coats?

Granted, the temperature in central Texas was balmy compared to that of my native Wisconsin, where with a real temperature of minus-11 and wind chills of minus-35, many schools delayed the start of or canceled classes. But in my parental book, 27 is cold enough for any sane person to wear a coat. In my case, gloves, a scarf and/or a hat, too, especially if it’s windy or raining/snowing.

I remember as a teen how stupid I thought it was that my parents made me wear a hat when it was cold outside. I don’t recall even thinking that I’d prefer to leave my coat at home, too. It was winter after all, and it was cold outside. I wore a coat. No questions asked.

But for today’s teens (I know mine’s not the only one), coats seem to be an unnecessary nuisance. Whatever the excuse is – “I’m not cold,” “I don’t have a locker to put it in,” “It’s not cool” – teens just don’t like to wear coats. And I’m guessing the fact that it annoys the heck out of their parents is a plus for them, too.

Even if I don’t understand it, I know that not wearing a coat is the social norm now and nothing I do or say will change that. If she gets cold, daughter will more than likely put on a coat — or at least extra layers. I’m better off trying to pick a battle I can win. There are plenty of those, right?

For now I need to go find a pair of gloves and warm my fingers up because it’s chilly in the house. What the heck, maybe I’ll put on my coat, too.