Opinion: There Is No Reason For Kids To Be On A Harness

I was walking my dog last night and had a moment when I had to hold her back from crossing the road because a car was coming. By virtue of the fact that I am a responsible dog owner, I was easily able to do that with her leash. Her dog leash. Because she is a dog. A dog who leashes were designed for. Always leave a hand free to take phone calls ;o) (Via Buzzfeed) I thought about my four-year-old son, who now knows how to 'look left, right, left again and listen' to make sure that the coast is clear before crossing the road and sighed with relief that we are there with him now. There was a time when I could be heard all over town, chasing after him as he sped away from me on his scooter and screaming like a banshee; 'Stop! Stop this MINUTE!!!', for fear that he would zoom out onto the road. Maybe it's an essential piece of kit if you have twins or triplets?! (Via Buzzfeed) And then I thought about little Miss Eva, who is almost one and a half and just on the verge of indicating to us that the buggy is soon to be obsolete. She will still get into it for a short time, but gets fed up really quickly and wants out. In another few months, I know we'll be bringing her everywhere by the hand and will have to teach her all that we've taught Jacob about holding hands, staying close to us and being safe on the road. Just hang on there while I nip to the shops ;o) (Via Buzzfeed) Which is a total pain in the neck. BUT I won't give in to a leash. Not a cute backpack leash or a cute front pack leash or a 'harness' or a 'walking rein' - whatever you want to call them. WTF?! (Via Buzzfeed) We have one 'walking rein' in our house and it is for our dog. I know that some people find them beneficial if their hands are particularly full or for safety reasons if in busy places, but I can hand-on-heart say I would rather run around after a kid on the loose than 'clip them on' to a rein of any sort. Kids must know their pecking order at all times. (Via Buzzfeed) Of course, some people take it to weird extremes, and perhaps pictures like the ones above have formed my bias against them but - in our house, they are a big no-no and will continue that way indefinitely! Have you ever used a harness for your kid or kids? Let us know in the comments.