Let's talk child leashes...

Before I had kids, I had lots of great ideas and opinions about child-rearing. Then I *had* kids and now I laugh at how stupid and clueless I was.

One of those opinions was thinking that child harnesses were horrible. I recently bought one from Amazon and I am IN LOVE, people.

I never bought one with my daughter. I only had one child. But now we have two, and one is a toddler. FACT: When in public, siblings are unable to run in the same direction. You are forced to pick your favorite child and just chase that one.

We took a flight over the holidays and I was very nervous about the airport. Brandt (Tuffy) just turned two and, like most toddlers, he can be wild and willful. We'll be holding hands and walking along, something will catch his eye and he'll just bolt. I couldn't have that in the crowded airport when I have luggage and whatnot.

I decided to try the harness and it was awesome! I didn't walk him like a dog the whole time. I would hold his hand, but I'd hold the leash, too, as an insurance policy. It actually gave him more freedom, because when we were standing around, he could let go of my hand and walk a few feet to touch something or play with his sister. There wasn't one tantrum in either airport!

We used it at the zoo today, which is the picture above. I liked having it when we were near stairs or drop-offs, and to keep him from tearing down the icy pathways.

I was prepared for sneers or rude comments, because I'd heard horror stories from other moms who have used these, but didn't get either. In fact, a couple of moms stopped to ask where they could get one.

Haters gon' hate, but I think this is one of the best inventions ever!