The battle over shorts: Are mom and dad right, will wearing shorts when it's cold get you sick?
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - It's a homefront battle waged between parents' common sense and children trying to fit in.
Can wearing shorts really get you sick and what about going out with wet hair?
Are all those things mom told you true, or is she just a square?
I went looking for answers.
There is no question that there are a lot of viruses out there waiting for all of us, but there may be some misconceptions about how they get us sick.
You may view it as a cold waiting to happen but to a young person in shorts...it's a fashion statement.
"It's definitely not something I would recommend or think it's always the smartest thing to do," said Allegheny Health Network pediatrician Dr. Michael Petroksy. "But getting we know being cold doesn't give you the cold."
Well, guess Dr. Petroksy didn't do much to protect the parental view.
"Just going out in shorts - I mean waiting at the bus stop for a couple of minutes, getting on the bus , walking to and from the car, really shouldn't get you sick," he said.
Now, being out for extended periods is entirely different and to be avoided, but Dr. Petrosky wonders if the shorts battle is really worth it.
"I mean you sort of pick your battles in some things and sometimes that's not one of them," he said.
Now, what about going out with wet hair, will that get you sick?
Dr. Petroksy says it's not true because viruses don't creep in through hair follicles.
"They're out there surrounded surrounding us a lot of the times and they have to enter in through mouth nose," he explained.
So, Dr. Petrosky said watch where you put your hands after touching public germy places that mom warned you about - like door knobs, door handles, and grocery carts.
"I tried to repress a lot of those, too,b because I think sometimes I still hear things my mom says and I have to remind her what I do for a living," Dr. Petrosky said with a laugh.
He said, yes, you can pick up viruses and germs from public surfaces, but if you do, wash your hands and stay away from touching your face and you should be fine.
Even though that's something we do subconsciously because according to a study from the National Institute of Health, we touch our face an average of 23 times an hour, and breaking a habit that started in utero...that's almost impossible.