For a child, there are few things more exciting than a “snow day”. When a school announces that its gates will be closed due to inclement weather, a child can feel momentarily that God and the fates are with them; that an otherwise illicit freedom has been permitted; that pupils are winners and teachers are losers.

Once upon a time, we would huddle around the radio, listening to the local station announce lists of schools that were shut – scarves and gloves at the ready so we could hit the hills the moment our school was read out. Today, emails and texts have made the process somewhat less romantic, but that doesn’t seem to lessen the excitement.

For a parent, however, there are few things more aggravating than a snow day. The prospect of arranging unforeseen childcare or trying to work at........

© iNews