Child harnesses are NOT leashes

I was extremely infuriated by a comment I read tonight, saying that people who use harnesses on their young children do not know how to parent and take the 'easy' way out. How is ensuring safety somehow an 'easy' way out or bad parenting? Since that person assumed that I don't know how to be a parent to my own kids, I'm going to make some assumptions of my own. I assume, that someone so misinformed about child harnesses either A: has NO kids B: has one kid who has always been strapped into a stroller for walks or C: has some magic parenting ability that keeps kids within a foot away at all times no matter what age. For some of the rest of us everyday parents with other challenges facing us, harnesses are normal, useful, and most importantly ensure safety in unsafe situations.

So, to those who oppose harnesses, what do you do if you have a child who refuses to be strapped into a stroller all the time? Do you see the irony of harnessing a child in a stroller but being against harnessing a child while he/she is walking? For some children, learning to walk beside or hand-in-hand with their parents/guardians is a frustrating battle of wills. It is you against the toddler. There are toddlers out there who feel that they should be able to walk wherever they want whenever they want. If said toddler is met with an obstacle such as a stroller, or a hand firmly holding their own, they WILL rebel. Now I don't know about you, but shopping or walking when you have to constantly switch direction in order to re-direct your small child can be annoyingly time-consuming. It also gets dangerous. What's to stop that willful young one from yanking his/her hand from yours and taking off full tilt? Can you guarantee you're fastest, or faster than say a car speeding down the street that is inches from the sidewalk? I know I cant. Can you guarantee someone else isnt going to be quicker than you in reaching your child first?

Even when safety doesn't come into play, sometimes sanity does. Sometimes its both. Here is where I play the twin card. I have twin toddlers. If I didn't sometimes rely on child harnesses, we would never go anywhere. My double stroller and those harnesses are what keep my girls safe and secure while still being able to enjoy life. They can enjoy the mall without me having to rip myself in two trying to go two different directions at the same time. They can go hiking with us, without us having to worry about them tumbling down a steep hillside or mountain path. They can walk to the park without being able to reach the busy street before I can. I love my kids, and I love getting out and doing things, therefore harnesses are a great alternative to no exercise from a bulky stroller.

Little children don't automatically know how to hold Mommy and Daddy's hand while outside. They do not grasp the many dangers that are around them. If you are blessed with an obedient hand holding child right from the start, great! More power to you! I just try keep in mind that they wont be willful toddlers forever. I doubt very much I will be putting the harnesses on them to take them to Kindergarten, or High school, or College even. However I will rest a bit easier knowing I have a device to use to help me keep them safe until they understand how important it is to stay close.