Hey, at least that kid gets to walk around!

When I was little, my parents used to put me in a harness like that and tie me to the handle of the garage door. They did it to keep me out of mud puddles while they worked in the yard.

If I ever have a kid, he/she will never be harnessed. And we will play in the mud like crazy.

wow. i was at the labrea tar pits today too and didn’t see this…cuz if i had, it’d be in a flickr set right now.
my dad’s grandparents used to use on of these on him. his dad would leave him with them and travel around for work. my grandparents ran a carnival so they used to tie his leash to a tree while they attended to whatever it is german carnival owners attend to while tying their grandson to a tree.

I’m a parent — these things are a god-send, especially in places like airports and malls. Young children like to walk on their own, but they also tend to wander off. This way, you can juggle luggage, let your kid walk on his own — and keep him close. The only people who bitch about these things are people who don’t have kids and have never used one. Harnesses are not mean, they’re not abuse — they’re practical and serve both the child and the parent. If you have a problem with them, borrow a 2-year-old and take him to the mall. In five minutes or less, you’ll be begging for a harness.

I grew up in the city (Chicago), so my parents would sometimes walk me in the harness. I’m not sure about tying a kid to the garage door, but my mom always said it was better than worrying I’d run into traffic (I was always kind of oblivious and preoccupied) or having to keep me within hand’s reach. This way, she said, at least I had a certain amount of freedom to explore. But yeah, it does look weird, I’ll grant you.

I’m a parent with two kids, one’s a fair amount older than two and another is two. I guess it’s a matter of style. I don’t like them and I’d never use them. I suppose I can see what Lee is saying, but they just seem wrong to me. Yes, small children can an do wander off, but I think the leashes are a little extreme.

Whenever I see these, I can’t help thinking of the Mike Myers – Saturday Night Live skits where he’s a kid wearing a helmet and one of those leashes tied to a jungle gym.

The use of a harness is like anything else — use common sense or look like a moron. We only used it when we needed to (we’d never tie our son to a door or a jungle gym, ’cause that’s just mean). We were hesitant at first. But in moving crowds, it just works better for everyone. Our son actually licked it and would ask for it. It let him explore, and we could keep him close. A win-win for all of us.

Uh, that should be “liked” it, not “licked” it — although on occasion, he would chew it 8-)

A future BDSM enthusiast in training…