Originally Posted by
John Loftis
Chris, the image of your son working next to you on his own bench is wonderful.
A couple thoughts. First, I agree with an earlier poster that when I am running power tools, I am (and need to be) 100% focused on that. If my attention is divided, that's an easy way for me to have an accident. Much as I'd love to have my kiddo 'working' with me, he's at a stage now where he has to be watched constantly or he'll find something dangerous to get into. Neither reason nor the fear of God/dad are overly effective with a 23-month-old. Do you worry that he won't stay in his chair when you are operating machinery? For me, if he weren't confined in a cage, I'd definitely be preoccupied about what he's getting into. If he's mature and responsible enough that you have absolute confidence that he'll stay put, kudos to you for your parenting skills and to him for being such a well-behaved kiddo.
Second, do they make hearing protection for little ones? When I was a kid in the seventies, I used to love to go hunting with dad. Hearing protection was never used, and I'm paying for that now. There's a fringe benefit, since I can feign deafness when my wife asks me to do something. But overall, I wish I had all my hearing.
John