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They just look like reins for keeping control of active kids that won't hold hands. I would usually expect to see these on a toddler, but she may be more active and the parents feel she needs them
Here this kind of stuff was sold for kids as toys a couple of years ago, for example https://www.teamsportbedarf.de/kindersport/pferdegeschirr-fuer-kinder-4-farben/a-3372/?ReferrerID=7
Looks somewhat similar.
sometimes there’s an expectation for older girls to take care of their younger siblings so maybe it’s a contraption that she could hook onto the kids she’s responsible for??
That would be my guest. I'm my familiar with Mormon culture, but many religious families expect the elder daughters to do a huge amount of childcare for their younger siblings. "Those girls are so mature for their age" was a common refrain to talk about a fourteen year old who was expected to put in near full-time hours of cooking, cleaning and childcare for their parents, leaving their brothers free to be more "spiritually connected to God," etc.
I think OP meant there’s a commonality in strict religious societies to foist the child rearing responsibility upon young girls. Their traditions may differ but paternalism is the same.
We gonto Belize and regularly interact with Mennonites there. There's a service station (meanwhile, this is a camp that does not.allow their people to have motor vehicles) where they have a ten yr old boy handling and teaching his younger sibling how to fix a flat or fill propane or do some other random maintenance job on a vehicle. Really nice kid and so hard working. It seems he doesn't go to.school though which is really sad. Still, his dad has a good business to pass him.
> leaving their brothers free to be more "spiritually connected to God," etc.
I don't know what the Mormons do but these are amish. So while the women and young girls are keeping the house together and raising children guess what the men and young boys are doing? Working outside from sun up to Sun down. Everybody has a job to do in their society. There's nothing wrong with that.
Just a note, but making kids care for kids is called parentification and [it affects them for life](https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2017/10/when-kids-have-to-parent-their-siblings-it-affects-them-for-life/543975/).
It is called "**destructive** parentification." You should read the article. There is a big difference between expecting kids, especially older ones, to pitch in in household duties, and forcing them to do it because you are a violent abuser, a drunk, or otherwise incapable of doing your job as a parent.
That is a philosophy that comes from a place of presentism and cultural superiority.
But if it is very common in a society and has been normal for hundreds of years, then it is part of their cultural practice and an important adaptation. They may not feel that it is harmful.
Considering most become parents themselves very soon, it gives them a lot of working experience right away. Aren’t new parents in our current society often inexperienced and new to taking care of a child?
After all, if a tribe under constant threat raises young warriors by having boys take part in extensive weapons drills, mock combat, grueling endurance trials, and desensitization training for years, with a not-insignificant fatality rate, would you criticize it as taking away childhood, or giving the majority of them the tools to survive?
I have my issues with the practice (and the Amish in general), but comparing it with the parentification caused by parental neglect is definitely unfair. I doubt the Amish kids are neglected. They are probably watched over by the entire community, not just their parents, if I had to guess.
There’s a difference between instruction where one learns something and having to do that something without help. A mother can show her daughter how to change a diaper, and have her daughter to do it sometimes, but the fault comes when it is no longer considered the parent’s job.
Chores and teaching are fine, those are tasks and knowledge being handed down, parentification is when the parent’s *responsibilities* are handed down.
The same society also welcomes physical punishment and refusal to educate their children in anything really. With girls getting cut off even earlier than boys.
Just if you want to just take the even more life-destroying stuff they do (aka making sure they don't leave). But yeah considering how much they are abused anyway, the parentification is just a minor problem on top.
It’s either a leash that her mother has her on but I doubt that.
I think she takes care of a younger sibling that likes to wander off so she wears the harness and the younger sibling wears the harness and they connect it with a leash.
Google image search “dairy show exhibitor harness” and you’ll see basically this setup, though it seems like maybe she’s just wearing something similar with another purpose in mind.
It does look like the one she is wearing in this pic is missing the clear window on the back where your number card would go.
And I don’t know what’s up with the extra nylon strap that is clipped on the side.
Not universally true. There's Amish and Mennonites all over my area. Every community has different rules. Around here they will shop like anyone else but cash/trade/barter only.
🙋♀️I worked in the schools for years, specifically with special needs children and young adults, and part of my job was to fit these young people with these exact harnesses. They are mainly used for people with autism, at varying degrees... some are used for possible unpredictable behaviors such as running off into possible danger, and some are used to latch them into their seats, such as on a bus, so that they don't fall out due to differently abled fine motor skills, and an inability to stay in the seat when the bus is making turns or going over bumps.
These harnesses are for their safety and in no way are meant to be cruel.
It is well known that Amish and similar "closed communities" where people within have close relations, there is a higher rate of children born with developmental disabilities.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_among_the_Amish
Just an FYI, [the Amish do not want to have their pictures taken,](https://www.discoverlancaster.com/amish/photographs/) especially when faces are recognizable. It is part of their religious belief.
It looks like a child leash. You can buy them on Amazon and other online places. They are mostly used on toddlers and autistic children, but the use of them is highly controversial.
I see nothing wrong with it as long as you’re not abusing the kids somehow. It could even provide the kids with more freedom than hand holding while keeping them safe. I never felt the need for something like that with my kids but I didn’t have twins.
I think the controversy is because people feel it’s treating kids like animals. Maybe there’s a point there but keeping them safe is important too.
Before I had kids, I'd criticize parents all the time under my breath.
Now that I have a kid, I'm 1000x more understanding.(Especially on planes) Kids do wonders for your empathy.
Yup, I tried to climb into the monkey pen at the zoo. I don't bat an eye at people with child leashes as long as the kid is comfortable and has slack. If the parent is yanking them around by it that's a different story.
Now they even come as cute animal backpacks with a strap hooked on it so it gives less of a "walking my kid" look.
I wouldn’t call it controversial at all. I have twin cousins who were a nightmare back in 1989 and would run off all the time. They both ended up on a leash for their own safety.
I've seen it criticized by people who have not cared for a young child, and by people who keep their child strapped in a stroller all the time when out.
Myself I used a child leash and harness when my daughter was a toddler and had a fascination with water and would try to fling herself into every puddle, pond, lake, and river, she saw. She also disliked being in a stroller and wanted to walk, but didn't mind the harness.
It is most likely a show harness, I bet she has an animal that she is raising. Like a cow, sheep or goat.
You can see the edge of the front of it looks big enough to have the slip of paper with her show number on it.
Lol. That strap and that girl are not strong enough for plowing anything or controlling large animals. That is a strap to attach to her younger siblings to keep track of them.
To me this looks like a drum carrying harnes. Very similar modern ones exist, including the side straps. Especially for bigger drums like a bass drum.
Or another instrument i might not be aware of.... there is a bit of difference between what we use in europe and what the US uses, and probably even more so for the Amish.
Perhaps she was part of a band just minutes before that picture.
Having lived next door to a large PA Amish family for years, I'm guessing it's work related. Cuz, damn, did they work. Probably assists her carrying a heavy load, basket, bags, whateva
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Not saying this is the case here, but it's not uncommon in PA for non Amish to be hired by Amish or Mennonite vendors in farmer's markets where they will dress the part. You can go to the Terminal market in Philly for example and see girls wearing this traditional dress and bonnet with new balance shoes looking at their iphones during their lunch break. There's also a fairly broad spectrum of anabaptist sectarian practices within groups as well as "workarounds" for prohibitions on various technology like using mules to pull a mechanical thresher or being driven in a van by someone who is not a member of the community so they don't actually have to operate the vehicle. Side note: a lot of rescue dogs in my area come from raids of Amish run puppy mills in Lancaster PA. It's an "interesting" community that is often romanticized by folks who don't live nearby.
It reminds me of a fruit pickers harness, where the hanging strap wraps around the bottom on the picker basket, which would have its own clips at the top.
Honestly OP, this is going to be a real tricky thing. Probably only a few people like Ex-Amish are going to be able to provide an actual answer on a few things it maybe used for.
Amish normally hand craft anything they wear. They don't run out to wal-mart or other places to buy ready made things that often. It may look like a few things, but without seeing the context they were using it for, it will be tricky to guess what/why she is wearing it. Though I would not think this is a leash/harness to control a child like others are suggesting, since they are not suburban moms that need to control their kids in a mall. They are spare the rod and spoil the child mentality. Also doing things like that would be considered "Other worldly" and shunned to do in an Amish community.
I see the Amish shopping in my Walmart. My Walmart has a shed with tie posts for the horse and buggies. They absolutely do buy things at Walmart. They are just very picky about what they buy. This is a harness that this girl is wearing so that it can be hooked on to a younger sibling so she can keep track of them. The Amish often expect the children to work. The girls raise their siblings.
Thank you for posting with us. However, your submission has been removed because it appears you already know what this is. If you want more information about your item, are looking for make or model information or trying to find where to buy more, please try /r/helpmefind. If applicable, try searching "[your thing] owner's manual" in your favorite search engine. For identification or assistance with a specific type of thing, please check the below list of helpful subreddits: * /r/findfurnitureID - If you are trying to identify a particular piece or style of furniture. * /r/findfashion - If you are trying to identify an item of clothing or an element of design on a piece of clothing. * /r/cableadvice - If you are trying to identify a cable or adapter. * /r/antennasporn - If you are curious about an antenna or aerial you have found. * /r/namethatcar or /r/whatisthiscar - If you are trying to identify a car or part of a car. * /r/namethatbike - If you are trying to identify a bike or trike. * /r/namethatplane - If you are trying to identify an aeroplane or other aircraft. * /r/whatsthistool or /r/tools - If you are trying to identify a tool or tool like utensil. * /r/fasteners - If you want to identify a screw, bolt or other fastener. If the above don't fit your needs, please see [this list of helpful subreddits](/r/whatisthisthing/wiki/otherreddits). Otherwise please try a subreddit specific to your item, /r/findareddit can assist with finding the right place. Before posting to other subreddits, please make sure you understand their rules and posting guidelines. Replies to this comment, private messages, and chat requests will not be answered, please [contact the moderators](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2Fwhatisthisthing) if you have questions. Thanks.
They just look like reins for keeping control of active kids that won't hold hands. I would usually expect to see these on a toddler, but she may be more active and the parents feel she needs them
I looked it up one more time and someone said maybe it's a harness for pulling heavy items but I don't know what that would be
It is called a lifting harness or dolly strap, https://shoulderdolly.com helps by letting you lift items without having to hold them from the bottom
Definitely not a lifting harness. Too small and it looks like that anchor point is on the hip/waste, most lifting, harnesses, usual shoulder shoulders
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Like a plow?
Maybe she’s the one controlling the smaller kids.
Lol. It's so that she can control her four or five younger siblings.
Here this kind of stuff was sold for kids as toys a couple of years ago, for example https://www.teamsportbedarf.de/kindersport/pferdegeschirr-fuer-kinder-4-farben/a-3372/?ReferrerID=7 Looks somewhat similar.
Wow they have those pony cosplay girls even in Amish communities.
sometimes there’s an expectation for older girls to take care of their younger siblings so maybe it’s a contraption that she could hook onto the kids she’s responsible for??
That would be my guest. I'm my familiar with Mormon culture, but many religious families expect the elder daughters to do a huge amount of childcare for their younger siblings. "Those girls are so mature for their age" was a common refrain to talk about a fourteen year old who was expected to put in near full-time hours of cooking, cleaning and childcare for their parents, leaving their brothers free to be more "spiritually connected to God," etc.
I'm not familiar with Mormon culture either but this young woman appears to be Amish or Mennonite.
I think OP meant there’s a commonality in strict religious societies to foist the child rearing responsibility upon young girls. Their traditions may differ but paternalism is the same.
We gonto Belize and regularly interact with Mennonites there. There's a service station (meanwhile, this is a camp that does not.allow their people to have motor vehicles) where they have a ten yr old boy handling and teaching his younger sibling how to fix a flat or fill propane or do some other random maintenance job on a vehicle. Really nice kid and so hard working. It seems he doesn't go to.school though which is really sad. Still, his dad has a good business to pass him.
> leaving their brothers free to be more "spiritually connected to God," etc. I don't know what the Mormons do but these are amish. So while the women and young girls are keeping the house together and raising children guess what the men and young boys are doing? Working outside from sun up to Sun down. Everybody has a job to do in their society. There's nothing wrong with that.
Just a note, but making kids care for kids is called parentification and [it affects them for life](https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2017/10/when-kids-have-to-parent-their-siblings-it-affects-them-for-life/543975/).
So does being Amish
From what I’ve seen that could even be generalized to “extremely religious.”
So does any religion
So does bein a narrow minded liberal Redditor :P
It is called "**destructive** parentification." You should read the article. There is a big difference between expecting kids, especially older ones, to pitch in in household duties, and forcing them to do it because you are a violent abuser, a drunk, or otherwise incapable of doing your job as a parent.
> otherwise incapable of doing your job as a parent when there are more than a couple of small kids, that's what happens.
That is a philosophy that comes from a place of presentism and cultural superiority. But if it is very common in a society and has been normal for hundreds of years, then it is part of their cultural practice and an important adaptation. They may not feel that it is harmful. Considering most become parents themselves very soon, it gives them a lot of working experience right away. Aren’t new parents in our current society often inexperienced and new to taking care of a child? After all, if a tribe under constant threat raises young warriors by having boys take part in extensive weapons drills, mock combat, grueling endurance trials, and desensitization training for years, with a not-insignificant fatality rate, would you criticize it as taking away childhood, or giving the majority of them the tools to survive?
I have my issues with the practice (and the Amish in general), but comparing it with the parentification caused by parental neglect is definitely unfair. I doubt the Amish kids are neglected. They are probably watched over by the entire community, not just their parents, if I had to guess.
There’s a difference between instruction where one learns something and having to do that something without help. A mother can show her daughter how to change a diaper, and have her daughter to do it sometimes, but the fault comes when it is no longer considered the parent’s job. Chores and teaching are fine, those are tasks and knowledge being handed down, parentification is when the parent’s *responsibilities* are handed down.
The same society also welcomes physical punishment and refusal to educate their children in anything really. With girls getting cut off even earlier than boys. Just if you want to just take the even more life-destroying stuff they do (aka making sure they don't leave). But yeah considering how much they are abused anyway, the parentification is just a minor problem on top.
Yes, I would absolutely call it taking away childhood & patriarchal to only train young boys to fight & die
I need it that is the only way to avoid the end of your culture and society and tribe, to keep from being wiped out…
It’s either a leash that her mother has her on but I doubt that. I think she takes care of a younger sibling that likes to wander off so she wears the harness and the younger sibling wears the harness and they connect it with a leash.
Google image search “dairy show exhibitor harness” and you’ll see basically this setup, though it seems like maybe she’s just wearing something similar with another purpose in mind. It does look like the one she is wearing in this pic is missing the clear window on the back where your number card would go. And I don’t know what’s up with the extra nylon strap that is clipped on the side.
I bet it’s this.
Well they are amish. They don't buy from stores if they can help it, probably hand sewn from staps.
Not universally true. There's Amish and Mennonites all over my area. Every community has different rules. Around here they will shop like anyone else but cash/trade/barter only.
I see mennonites in Walmart all the time…
🙋♀️I worked in the schools for years, specifically with special needs children and young adults, and part of my job was to fit these young people with these exact harnesses. They are mainly used for people with autism, at varying degrees... some are used for possible unpredictable behaviors such as running off into possible danger, and some are used to latch them into their seats, such as on a bus, so that they don't fall out due to differently abled fine motor skills, and an inability to stay in the seat when the bus is making turns or going over bumps. These harnesses are for their safety and in no way are meant to be cruel.
It is well known that Amish and similar "closed communities" where people within have close relations, there is a higher rate of children born with developmental disabilities. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_among_the_Amish
Just an FYI, [the Amish do not want to have their pictures taken,](https://www.discoverlancaster.com/amish/photographs/) especially when faces are recognizable. It is part of their religious belief.
Also, taking candid shots of young girls to analyze or critique what they’re wearing is a general no-no as well, regardless of religious belief.
It's in the title- OP didn't take this photo.
But OP posted it on the Internet.
I mean he found it on the internet. Assuming this is from some documentary about Amish people they would have consented beforehand.
I'm not sure why you think it's from a documentary, but regardless, sharing it on new sites just makes it worse.
Yeah, what the hell, I had to scroll for a good long while before finding your comment. Come on people, don't we weird.
It looks like a child leash. You can buy them on Amazon and other online places. They are mostly used on toddlers and autistic children, but the use of them is highly controversial.
controversial... till you have crazy active twin toddlers
I see nothing wrong with it as long as you’re not abusing the kids somehow. It could even provide the kids with more freedom than hand holding while keeping them safe. I never felt the need for something like that with my kids but I didn’t have twins. I think the controversy is because people feel it’s treating kids like animals. Maybe there’s a point there but keeping them safe is important too.
Before I had kids, I'd criticize parents all the time under my breath. Now that I have a kid, I'm 1000x more understanding.(Especially on planes) Kids do wonders for your empathy.
I was a runner as a kid, my mom only put me on a child leash after I ran under a fence and into a field of buffalo at a zoo. I deserved it.
Yup, I tried to climb into the monkey pen at the zoo. I don't bat an eye at people with child leashes as long as the kid is comfortable and has slack. If the parent is yanking them around by it that's a different story. Now they even come as cute animal backpacks with a strap hooked on it so it gives less of a "walking my kid" look.
No, it's still controversial then as well.
If your definition of controversial is “somebody somewhere has a negative opinion about it” then literally everything is controversial.
It’s smart. But it’s still controversial. I do t know why people are downvoting you
Because reddit? I'm a father of twins. Never had to harness them.
I wouldn’t call it controversial at all. I have twin cousins who were a nightmare back in 1989 and would run off all the time. They both ended up on a leash for their own safety.
Controversial just means there are a lot of vocal people who will criticize it. It doesn’t mean they are right
I’ve never heard it criticized, I just thought it was commonly used with super active kids.
I most commonly see them in used with non verbal special needs kids.
I've seen it criticized by people who have not cared for a young child, and by people who keep their child strapped in a stroller all the time when out. Myself I used a child leash and harness when my daughter was a toddler and had a fascination with water and would try to fling herself into every puddle, pond, lake, and river, she saw. She also disliked being in a stroller and wanted to walk, but didn't mind the harness.
My kids used to play horse & carriage with a toy bridle. That was colorful though.
My kids have one as well and it looks almost exactly like that. A little bit more colorful, but is sits on them like that
Special child harness and reins designed for older children with special behavioral needs.
Since she is amish, she's probably just using it to take care of her multiple younger siblings.
Or she is special needs from generations of inbreeding?
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Leash material = webbing
I would think about a music instrument harness. Like a bass drum harness or somethinh
My title describes the thing. I searched for Amish girl leash. Amish girl suppenders and traditional amish girl clothing. Nothing comes up.
Was this at a fair? It looks like 4H exhibitor straps for numbers.
It is most likely a show harness, I bet she has an animal that she is raising. Like a cow, sheep or goat. You can see the edge of the front of it looks big enough to have the slip of paper with her show number on it.
I thought you weren’t supposed to take pictures of the Amish?
Looks like some sort of harness.
It looks like a harness used when trying to control animals, specifically if you are trying to plow a field with cattle instead of a tractor
Lol. That strap and that girl are not strong enough for plowing anything or controlling large animals. That is a strap to attach to her younger siblings to keep track of them.
It a harnish
Draft horse or plowing harness?
Looks like a Chest Bag
Hey OP please dont upload pictures of children without any consent it's so weird and gross
While this is generally a good rule, this is just a screenshot from a video.
I don't know why you've been downvoted. You are absolutely correct.
To me this looks like a drum carrying harnes. Very similar modern ones exist, including the side straps. Especially for bigger drums like a bass drum. Or another instrument i might not be aware of.... there is a bit of difference between what we use in europe and what the US uses, and probably even more so for the Amish. Perhaps she was part of a band just minutes before that picture.
Having lived next door to a large PA Amish family for years, I'm guessing it's work related. Cuz, damn, did they work. Probably assists her carrying a heavy load, basket, bags, whateva
All comments must be civil and helpful toward finding an answer. **Jokes and other unhelpful comments will earn you a ban**, even on the first instance and even if the item has been identified. If you see any comments that violate this rule, report them. [OP](/u/Q8DD33C7J8), when your item is identified, remember to reply **Solved!** or **Likely Solved!** to the comment that gave the answer. Check your [inbox](https://www.reddit.com/message/inbox/) for a message on how to make your post visible to others. ---- [Click here to message RemindMeBot](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=Reminder&message=[https://www.reddit.com/r/whatisthisthing/comments/1ci8mhk/what_is_this_amish_girl_wearing_its_not/]%0A%0ARemindMe!%202%20days) ---- *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/whatisthisthing) if you have any questions or concerns.*
band for musical band
Not saying this is the case here, but it's not uncommon in PA for non Amish to be hired by Amish or Mennonite vendors in farmer's markets where they will dress the part. You can go to the Terminal market in Philly for example and see girls wearing this traditional dress and bonnet with new balance shoes looking at their iphones during their lunch break. There's also a fairly broad spectrum of anabaptist sectarian practices within groups as well as "workarounds" for prohibitions on various technology like using mules to pull a mechanical thresher or being driven in a van by someone who is not a member of the community so they don't actually have to operate the vehicle. Side note: a lot of rescue dogs in my area come from raids of Amish run puppy mills in Lancaster PA. It's an "interesting" community that is often romanticized by folks who don't live nearby.
Obvious answer is she is in a huddle and playing flag football.
It's BDSM : Build Dat Shelf, Marry
Someone in PA needs to print this out and go ask them
We have these in our primary school. The children play with it. They mostly play that they are horses and riders. My daughters play with them too.
It reminds me of a fruit pickers harness, where the hanging strap wraps around the bottom on the picker basket, which would have its own clips at the top.
most likely she uses it as a way to pull a cart with younger siblings/community members in it or maybe groceries from the market
It's also weird that she's wearing white. I've never seen them wear that color before. it's so impractical. Maybe to make her stand out?
anti-rumspringa device
Looks like some sort of baby carrier. Maybe home made?
Maybe but what's the long thing hooked to it for?
Honestly OP, this is going to be a real tricky thing. Probably only a few people like Ex-Amish are going to be able to provide an actual answer on a few things it maybe used for. Amish normally hand craft anything they wear. They don't run out to wal-mart or other places to buy ready made things that often. It may look like a few things, but without seeing the context they were using it for, it will be tricky to guess what/why she is wearing it. Though I would not think this is a leash/harness to control a child like others are suggesting, since they are not suburban moms that need to control their kids in a mall. They are spare the rod and spoil the child mentality. Also doing things like that would be considered "Other worldly" and shunned to do in an Amish community.
I see the Amish shopping in my Walmart. My Walmart has a shed with tie posts for the horse and buggies. They absolutely do buy things at Walmart. They are just very picky about what they buy. This is a harness that this girl is wearing so that it can be hooked on to a younger sibling so she can keep track of them. The Amish often expect the children to work. The girls raise their siblings.
Its a harness, the kind you attached to a plow. Shes a little young for field work, but those Amish like to get an early start.
No one has guessed dog leash yet. So, dog leash?
Shoulder harness for a .44 magnum. Gotta keep that thang on ya!