When it gets cold.

Everytime it gets really cold, like today, I think of my grade school parka.

I was in the fifth grade when mom and dad went off to Sioux City to buy me a new parka. The hand-me-doown one, an off-green military style one, was about shot and I was a growing boy. It was my turn for a brand new off-green military style new one like the other kids had.

After all, back in those days, we needed warm clothes. Recess was outside. Even on some of the coldest days, recess was outside. We walked to school and home from school. It was safe to do it back then. And outdoor play took on great adventure as we sledded down the biggest hills at the golf course and looked for beasts along Little Creek. It took a good parka to be a tough kid back then--an off green military style one that looked the same as all of the other kids.

I was really excited when mom and dad got home from Sioux City. They unpacked the car and mom handed me a big sack. I ripped it open and there it was. It was a military style parka, all right. It fit fine. Mom zipped it up and pulled the rabbit lined fur hood over my head and there I stood, ready for the cold in my red military style heavy parka.

Red?

Mom, you bought me a red parka? Not a green one like the other kids had?

I raised hell for days about wearing that red parka. The kids made fun of me. I felt really stupid about being the only kid in town who wore a red parka.

But my parents were ahead of their time. By the time I went off to college at Nebraska, a coach named Devaney had come along and the entire state was Go Big Red crazy.

In spite of myself, I was ahead of my time.

How do parents know these things?