By now many of you have read or seen CNN or the various news media and the talk about the woman who drove a car into a crowd at a Washington, D.C. street festival.  A lot of people got hurt, many of them little kids.  Well, have you ever seen a kid with a leash on her wrist and the other end of the leash is attached to Mom or Dad?  I see it all the time.  And I always wonder:  Are they trying to hurt their kid?  Just think about it for a minute.  Part of the reason for the leash is so the child won’t get away.  But another reason is so the adult can pull the kid to safety or away from something dangerous.  Right.  So you pull hard on the arm and dislocate the shoulder or elbow.  That makes good sense.

Here’s a better way.  Don’t use a leash that attaches to the child’s wrist.  Use a leash that attaches to a full-body harness.  They are cheap and safe.  One of my children ran into the street while wearing a harness attached to my wrist.  Car comes by at speed so I spun and pulled hard.  She went flying into the air, the car goes by missing her and she’s not hurt.  Actually she thought it was a carnival ride and wanted to do it again.  After I could catch my breath, we did too–but not near the street.