Monday, May 12, 2014

Temperature. Or, the concept of cold.

This post has been written by the husband, a little bit like Kamel appears every now and again over at Better in real life. Speaking of which, you should absolutely read K's mother's day post. It is just, so beautiful. This will most likely not be a regular feature, but maybe now and then we'll get to hear M's voice. 

Wind, hail, and rain do nothing to the boy. Shown here: Windproof raincoat bought in Barcelona, when it was supposed to be glorious, sunny warm and instead it started raining dogs and cats.

Amanda and I are having a lot of discussions about the temperature lately, since the arrival of our little Yulia. We have had our funny misunderstandings in the past, like me having to buy sweaters and a windproof jacket in Barcelona while visiting Amanda, but the differences in our thoughts and perceptions are very clear today. Our main discussion regarding Yulia is whether or not she should be covered by a swaddle when she is carried around in the house.

Amanda grew up in warm and sunny Mexico. Sure it can get “cold” there in the mornings and evenings, but the temperature never drops beneath 10º degrees Celsius. And sure, she spent some time in Switzerland, but the warmth of the Mexican sun never left her mind. She walks around the house on slippers and most of the time has a blanket wrapped around her. She “claims” that there are these “huge” drafts, making parts of the house colder than the rest. So it is no surprise that Amanda thinks that Yulia needs a swaddle, since she is a small baby and the house is cold. The more blankets she is covered in the better.


I, on the other hand grew up in rainy and windy Holland. Where the temperature does become negative in winter. And since Holland is a bike country, I spent plenty of time biking in the rain, snow and hail. During exam period you would spend the first 15 min of the exam getting warm and dry. I walk around the house on my socks and in a t-shirt. I don’t feel any drafts or temperature variations throughout the house.

So, according to my view, Yulia does not need a swaddle in the house when I carry her around in our house. Even during the short trip she takes naked from her room to the shower, where we install her bath.


temperature is a numerical measure of hot and cold. Its measurement is taken by detection of heat radiation; particle velocity or kinetic energy, or, most commonly, by the bulk behavior of a thermometric material. It may be calibrated in any of various temperature scales: Celsius, Fahrenheit, Kelvin, etc.

The temperature indication throughout our house is a cozy 20º degrees Celsius, but it is funny to see that an objective value such as temperature can be perceived so subjectively based on one’s background.

How are you influenced by your background?

13 comments:

  1. Hahaha, Mark in your favor (Amanda don´t read this) I really think that´s not a problem of temperature or anything else, it is a problem that most of "mexican mothers" have, they are always cold and they are always saying "you should wear a sweater"-"aren´t you cold" to their kids, it´s a classic, a cultural classic. But also can be only that you are used to it, and we are not, of course. Anyway, a hug for you 3.

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    1. So it's a mexican thing?? Amanda is only half Mexican,so does that mean she is only half as "bad"?? ;) Looking forward to seeing you guys in Mexico

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    2. Jajaja, sí, en efecto, cuando mi mamá estuvo aquí, lo primero que hizo fue comprarme una chamarra polar :) Muchos saludos!

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  2. How nice that Mark wrote a post! I don't think Andino would be into that...

    Andino and I are both friolento so we keep our home at 22.5 through the year and always need slippers, sweaters & blankets. I'm sure there will be other ways our cultures will clash when it comes to baby. For example, my in-laws really want us to shave the baby's head and I really don't want to!

    That's a gorgeous photo of Yulia by the way, what a cutie!!

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    Replies
    1. If it was up to Amanda I would write a lot more,but it isn't my thing. Took me 2 whole months just to write this small post :)

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    2. Thank you! And I know, it is so fun and nice to see the other half's perspective :) I don't know why I always feel so cold... I'm not even sure if it is cultural or physiological, or just a matter of habit.

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  3. Ha! I swear, my husband could have written this post. He even puts thermometers in various rooms to prove to me that it's warmer than I think it is. No matter, I always feel the drafts and I always feel colder than he does.

    And btw, I would find 20C to be on the cooler side! We set the thermostat to 20.5C at night, and I sleep under 3 blankets!

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    1. I'm more of a 18 degrees kinda guy, but as a compromise it is set at 20 degrees. Do you also shower with "boiling" water like Amanda does?

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    2. I definitely shower with "boiling" water. Our water heater is always depleted after my showers.

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    3. Oh I am glad I am not the only one. Sometimes I really think I am crazy. But then the summer warmth comes and I feel like myself again.

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  4. Just so you know, my Mexican mother spent the entire 2 months she was with us hectoring me about the babies being cold. :)

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    1. I feel you. I already joke to Amanda about how I will get my revenge in Mexico. My concern will be the heat.

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    2. Jajajjaa, yup, that's pretty much what my mom did. The worse part is bringing her from the shower where we set up her bath, to her room, at the end of the hallway, only covered in her towel.

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