Minnesota Moms Have the Whole ‘Catching a Cold’ Thing Wrong

Minnesota moms have the whole 'catching a cold' thing wrong. Or at least my mom did, and I can't believe she's the only one.

And when you ask her where she got her crazy ideas it's always the same answer, "From my mom!" Why do we refrigerate maple syrup? Because my mom did. Why do we keep peanut butter in the cupboard? Because my mom did. Why do you smoke Tareyton 100s? You get the picture.

Anyway, my mom -- and most likely her mom, and all the other moms dating back to the ice age had how we catch a cold wrong. I remembered arguing as a kid (being a huge fan of virology), but you can guess how that ended.

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Common Minnesota Cold-Related Momisms

• Don't even think about going outside without a jacket!
• You're going to get a cold if you go outside with that wet head.
• You're not going outside dressed like its the 4th of July.
• You're going to get pneumonia if you go outside dressed like that.

Sorry Minnesota moms, that that's all incorrect. Bzzzzzzzz.

We don't catch colds from being chilled, exposed, wet, cold, freezing, shivering, or under-dressed. We get colds from being exposed to viruses that then grow and thrive in our bodies. Simple as that. Period. Mic drop.

That other stuff is all good advice if you want to stay warm or avoid frostbite, but has nothing about catching a cold, the flu, or COVID.

The prevailing theory about why cold & flu (and COVID) season peaks in the winter is because we're all spending way more times indoors breathing each other's infect air.

And the number-one most helpful cold and flu avoidance tip for the winter of 2024-2025 is...

Avoid being too close to people who are sick. In fact, avoid them like the plague. An actual plague.

Mittens don't help, but washing those hand just might. Exercise, health, and fitness also seems to help.

Experts advise plenty of hand washing and getting recommended flu & COVID shots.

Good luck!