drafts

One thing that has always puzzled me is what seems to be an obsession with des courants d'air. Ever since I had my first host family it has always been, "don't open that window, you'll make a draft in the house." Understandably so because when you've got all the windows open its true that doors and windows start slamming which is very obnoxious.

But why???

I have no memories of my mom telling me not to leave doors/windows open because of that, none.

This has been plaguing me (yeah yeah, what I dork I am to be plagued by les courants d'air...) but why is that?

We have windows.
We have doors.
We have air.

How does this not happen? Or is my memory failing me?

I think when great brains are put together answers come :-) Natalie and I were discussing this (well I brought it up because I'm that obsessed with it...) and I said that maybe its because our windows are usually sash windows which open vertically as opposed to French windows which tend to open horizontally. That way the windows never slam shut.

But what about the doors? That is where Natalie let her brillance shine through. We all have carpet she said. True true, having carpet does slow down the doors, especially that nice thick shag carpet that you can really dig your toes into and never need slippers... ahhh... but back to the theory, some rooms don't have carpet. There are rooms in the downstairs of my mom's house with hardwood floors and doors.

What then?

I'm stumped.