My ten-year-old son Jacob came into our room last week as I was watching the "Today" show and waited for the local weather report. The forecast was cold in the morning, with a good chance of warming up to 57 degrees by the afternoon. That was all he needed to hear.

As he came bounding down the stairs for breakfast, he practically waved his shiny satin sports shorts in my face. And the arguing began. I told him it was presently 38 degrees outside and shorts were not appropriate. He confidently told me it would be practically summer later that day. 

"Then you can change to shorts when you get home," I bristled.

"NOOOOO!" He wailed. "I won't be cold. I'll be fine!"

"Your teachers will think I'm a bad parent, letting you go outside in 30 degree weather with no clothes on. And you might get sick." I said half-heartedly, not even sure I believed myself.

"My teachers don't care. I don't want to be hot in school, mommy."

We went back and forth like this for a few minutes until my husband intervened and told Jacob he would be grounded if he did not put pants on. He stomped up the stairs with dramatic flair. When he returned home later that day, he was not wearing the sweatpants he left in, but a pair of shorts. That little rascal had snuck them into his backpack and changed at school.

We've had this debate repeatedly over the last few years whenever the kids get a taste of spring. We go to Florida in February and they wear shorts every day. Then they get home and there are one or two days of 60 degree temperatures and all the sense falls out of their heads, slips right down their bare legs, and gets trampled under their high top sneakers. Once they get to sample the summer clothing, they resent the indignity of shin cover.

In an effort to avoid unnecessary unpleasantness in the morning, we made a rule that our kids may only wear shorts and t-shirts (without a second layer) in 55 degrees or above. That means it has to be warm enough when they are leaving the house, not at some fantasy time in mid-afternoon. This guideline eliminates most of the bickering, but not the grumbling.

But when Jacob wants something, he is extremely manipulative (see shorts in backpack) and persuasive. This week, he pressed me several times about why it was unhealthy if he didn't feel cold.

I started to wonder if he had a point.

I have learned that my children really do have different thermostats. They are rarely cold when I am freezing. My boys (ages 10, 6 and 4) are always on the move and seem to have an internal furnace that was not installed in my body.

So is there any truth to the theory that you can get sick from being outside in cold weather without enough clothes on? Or is it another parenting myth like not swimming right after you eat?

On a quest for truth and more peaceful relations, I consulted Millburn pediatrician Dr. Donald Cotler.  "I always tell my young patients that if their mother is cold, they should put on a coat. Even if you don't feel it, you'll probably be healthier," said Cotler. I instantly loved this man.

Dr. Cotler went on to suggest that while playing outside in cold weather without a jacket (or pants) doesn't cause a cold, the lowering of the body's core temperature suppresses immunity, which can lead to illness. 

The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests you dress children in several thin layers for outdoor activities to keep them dry and warm.  However, the group concedes that cold weather does not cause colds or flu. The viruses that spark a cold happen more frequently in the winter when children are indoors and in closer contact, swapping germs in ways I'd rather not think about.

Looking at other medical sites, I found the consensus to be that in order to avoid a virus, washing your hands is more important than your outfit.

So in the end, Jacob and I were both a little right. Wearing shorts and no jacket in these early spring days will probably not make him sick. But the stress of letting him do it will undoubtedly suppress my immune system. As soon as I start sniffling, the pants go back on.