WESTWOOD, Kan. — As the snow piles grew even taller Tuesday across Kansas City, the hassles continued to pile up for parents.
"I didn't know we were expecting a second winter break, here we go," Jensen Kugle, a single mother, said.
Local school districts added another snow day to the list on Wednesday.
For working parents like Kugle, the school closures left her scrambling and stressed out.
Dropping her daughter Scarlett off with a relative isn't an option for Kugle. She's originally from Texas where her side of the family lives. At times, she can work from home, but said that's a challenge in itself.
"If you are stuck inside because it's too cold and you don't have arts and crafts planned and what have you, you have to be their main attention and you've got to figure it out," Kugle said.
As Kugle pleaded to mother nature to move on to spring, she was also finding ways to de-stress.
Andrea Dalton with the Center for Trauma Informed Innovation at Truman Medical Center said there are several practices parents can try to lower stress levels.
"When you notice your stress level is rising, push your toes into the floor," Dalton said. "It sort of has that opposite effect, that rising stress level, the toes into the floor, so you're grounding yourself and it's that reminder."
Journaling, intentional breathing, and finding something to laugh at during the day can also help.
"Those stress hormones can build up in our bodies, so finding ways to release it is really important," Dalton said.
