All winter long, our moms would drill it into us. "Put on a hat!" we were cautioned as we ran out the door. Then came the obligatory science lesson: "You lose 75 percent of your body heat through your head!" (In anxious households, the number could reach 90 percent.) That sounded mighty dangerous to a second grader, so we dutifully grabbed our stocking cap.
By the time we reached adulthood, though, we knew Mom had been padding not only our skulls but the truth — we do lose heat through a hatless noggin, but at pretty much the same rate as any other exposed part of the body. Phew. Now we feel at ease to let our kids choose winter headwear as a carefree expression of style, of joie de vivre. As long as it's not too cold out.