My kids are too young but they will NEVER own a pair. I'm hoping the fad dies out before they are old enough. If not, wife and I will not allow them.

How can they get around - WALK!!!!!

My 76 year-old mother wanted a pair for Christmas. We figure she's responsible enough not to use them in Giant.

I see kids with these shoes sometimes. I look at my almost 5-year-old and think no. Just a disaster waiting to happen.

I bought these for my niece at Christmas. She loves them. But in retrospect, I wished I had researched them before purchasing. They do look dangerous. I think a lot of schools ban them as well.

These are the latest fad at my daughter's school. Luckily it seems to be most popular among the boys thereby guaranteeing that my daughter would never want one.

The dumbest version I've seen was a pair of pink plastic PLATFORM heelys on a little 4 or 5 year old girl. She couldn't walk on the platform soles well and she couldn't skate well.

However, I think it's cool that Stroller Mama's mom wanted a pair. How is she doing on them?

I don't see how these things are so awful. It's not really that much less work than walking so it doesn't encourage laziness (in fact I would say it encourages activity). Secondly, not everything that's dangerous is bad. Bikes, monkeybars, trampolines, skateboards, and everything else are dangerous, but they're fun and everything I remember from my childhood (and the matching little scars on my knees I can still kind of see). I can see schools banning them because they're a distraction and Giant cause it's annoying, but sometimes even kids should get to live dangerously.

These things are a menace that I wish were never invented. My child will never own a pair.

I cannot count the number of times I have been nearly toppled when being run into or been trying to avoid a child who is all over the place in these things. Always, the parents are nearby and doing nothing about it.

Another stupid, useless thing for sappy Americans to buy!

My son bought a pair of these things with his Christmas money. $80 at Dick's Sporting Goods. He loves them! It did bug me a little when he wore them to church. Imagine rolling up to a priest to receive communion. Otherwise, I think Heelies are pretty cool for now, but I'm sure he'll grow out of them someday. Ha!

Maybe Giant will ban high heels too. They have caused their fair share of injuries too.

My 10 year old has a pair and loves them. I don't have a problem with them either. He plays hockey and skates very well so that hasn't been an issue either. We have strict rules about where he is allowed to skate in them - no parking lots!!

And to the anonymous poster "Another stupid, useless thing for sappy Americans to buy!"
I'm sure someone said the same thing about hula hoops and yo yos once but they are making a fortune.

I guess you were never a kid that wanted to play and have fun!

I have seen too many kids nearly knocking out others in stores. One out-of-control kid grabbed onto my shopping companion's arm to try to regain her balance as she zipped by and nearly took us all out. I have no problem with them in general, but if you wouldn't let your kid play with a soccer ball in a particular place, they shouldn't be wearing skate sneakers there, either. They don't belong in stores, parking lots, or schools.

Argh, I can't count how many times I've been nearly mowed over in Target, those will be one fad I am glad to see go out!

(I see they're cute, and I probably would have wanted a pair when I was that age, but then again I also am pretty sure there would have been rules about wearing them to school/stores/malls/crowded places.)

Skating indoors should be limited to places like skating rinks that are designed for such. Using the skate function of the shoe indoors is an accident waiting to happen. BTW, this isn't such a new idea. Skate shoes were out in the '80s although not such a slick design. Outdoors is fine, indoors is a lawsuit waiting to happen.

My children will NEVER own a pair either! Good heavens, we've already spent enough time in emergency rooms from accidents while wearing regular sneakers -- I can't even imagine what would happen if we allowed these in the house!

I can see the safety risks, but I wish they had them when I was a kid...a 27-year-old wheeling around the office looks quite stupid, but they look like so much fun!

Yeah Christina, I wish I had a pair too.

I see kids in these things all the time and can't say I've ever been bothered. The best was a little girl calling out to her dad about how she could turn in them. Kids usually bump into me while walking and looking the other way. Oh wait, that could be me, I'm about as situationally aware as a 7yo. Either way, not bothersome.

I like the shoes but there have been many problems resulting from them.
I think there should be limits on where and when children use them.
However, it is the parent's job to teach their child manners and proper behaviour.
FO4...I LOVE the idea of skating to get communion...my dad would probably spin in his grave over that comment..

They look like fun but one kid took my breath away when I saw him almost get hit by a car in the parking lot. There's no way the driver backing out of the parking space could have seen or predicted this kid whizzing past.

$80 for a pair of kid's sneakers that will soon be outgrown?!

Great money management example! Americans are such suckers for their kids' shakedowns!

Lighten up, people. It's not the shoes but the LACK OF CONTROL by us, the parents. I am a 37yo single father with custody of my two daughters (9yo and 7yo). They got them from my Mom at Christmas. Yes, at first, they did use them in stores until I actually took the wheels away. Now they know not to use them in stores. They are also not allowed to have the wheels in at school.

Too often I see people blame the products or the children when we, as parents, are TRULY the one to blame. They are fun and I am actually thinking of getting an adult size pair for myself so I can share yet another thing with my children.

So with that I tell you parents who say "never my child" to get a grip...and control your children.

The occupational therapists at our elementary school have banned them. They say they are very bad for growing leg muscles!

Great reason for me not to buy them. We have regular skates that we use at the skating rink. Period.

Hula hoops and yo=yos never made somebody fall down and fracture their skull. Nor did they make kids plow into an innocent bystander and knock THEM down. Get a grip. Yes, this is just another expensive indulgent item for kids that have everything.

No kids yet, but these look like such fun! Definitely not appropriate unless you are in a place in which running is appropriate. But I'd buy a pair for my kids and another pair for me.

Wish they had adult sizes. You ever try to get from one side of Home Depot or COSTCO to the other ???
Of course the parents hate them = they're PARENTS ! That's what parents do. Your parents probaly didn't want you to get that BB gun.

I was also very against them but my 7-yr old daughter got them for Xmas and I put down strict rules. Funny enough, I only allow them at an [uncrowded] mall, where the floors are smooth and she is holding my hand or within an arm's length. I have seen some near-accidents waiting to happen but I agree with Sterling Park father and other who said that kids only behave as badly as the parent permits.

I hate these things! Giant is right to ban these shoes to protect their PAYING customers. Last I checked, those kids wheeling around weren't the ones shopping.

THANK YOU Sterling Park! You have the right idea, I wish more parents had your attitude about controling their children. Yes, kids will be kids but they should also know right from wrong and polite behavior over extreme rudeness; which these shoe skates promote 95% of the time.

On the flip side of like or dislike, I have to wonder about the damage these skate shoes are doing to kids backs, spines and overall posture (a chiropractor's dream). Just look at how kids have to stand with these things on and the wheels in. When is the last time you saw a child, who owned these shoes, take the wheels out?

My daughter (9) bought her own pair. She didn't use them for months, cause she kept falling on her keester. Then she learned from a friend that pushing a cart in the stores would help her get her balance.

She's really good now and her father and I take the responsibility of ensuring she rolls in the proper places.

I am 41, and 4'10" and I have a pair because my feet are size 5. I can't quite get the balance thing down. I am a vet, and while it would be tempting to wear from exam room to exam room so that I could move more quickly, I don't think it would project the professional image I am trying to maintain. Sigh. So I only wear them at parks, Disneyworld, etc.

I have this feeling, that the children who are out of control in skate shoes, are the children who are out of control anyway. I have been run into more times by children NOT on wheels than children ON wheels. I think that the real problem here is the lack of parenting that allows children to run (or skate) around being a danger and a nuisance to everyone around them. The shoes are fine, they look like fun, and children who use them responsibily are no more a menace than any other children. Give the shoes a break.

I keep wondering who the Wunderkid/development genius was who thought shoes with wheels in them would be a good idea. These things piss me off and have no redeeming value whatsoever. I don't know which is worse, either--the kids who scoot around on them in crowded places, like stores, or their parents who let them. I've often told many a kid to stop or slow day in a store, and often within hearing of their oblivious parent, who then gets pissed at me for telling their child to behave--something they should so obviously be doing, but seem not to want to do. I don't know who the bigger idiots are: the people who invented these stupid shoes or the parents who buy them for their kids/let their kids buy them. As someone who's tired of paying higher prices at stores because some kid knocked down an old lady who then broke her hip and sued the store, which then passed the cost of the settlement on to those of us who are conscientious shoppers, I say get rid of the damn things already! If God meant for us to roll around, He/She would have created us with wheels in our heels.

It's great to hear from all these negative people that were never kids themselves or if they were never did ANYTHING disrepectful and were perfect angels!

To those who are worried about the safety of the children, PLEASE don't sign your kids up for ANY sports as they all have inherent risk involved. Go ahead and put your kids in a bubble to protect them.

"I don't know who the bigger idiots are: the people who invented these stupid shoes or the parents who buy them for their kids/let their kids buy them."

As usual, the wussie parents who don't have the guts/brains to say no to their spawn are the bigger idiots.

It is getting more and more difficult to believe that anyone in this country once had a pioneer spirit when you look at today's coddled, spoiled, pampered brats!

I strongly disagree with the notion that children only behave as badly as their parents permit them.

They behave worse!

I only permit perfectly behaved children myself, but making rules is kinda like following the speed limit. Only go 7 miles per hour over the limit, 12 on the highway less you get popped and have to pay a fine. :-)

Last night my son got whacked on the head by a woman's oversized purse as she was trying on makeup in Macy's. To top it off, my son apologized to her - I don't know why. I think we should ban all of these oversized purses too!!!

It's so hard to resist the urge to stick out a foot as these kids are wheeling about in crowded malls...

These things are a menace to the public. I think parents use them as another babysitting tool - to keep their child occupied and away from them. Just this past weekend 2 girls ran into me in Macy's while they were racing around. I have also witnessed kids running into people in airports - trying to keep up with their families.

Keep them at home in the driveway or on the sidewalk, but NOT in stores, airports and other public areas! I wonder if schools have had to ban them?

I think they are cool! My kids, 6 and 9 bought them with birthday money. At first, I thought they'd kill themselves, but just like bike riding, they got the hang of it quickly. As for rules, of course there are rules. They tried to wear them to Church - that is a funny visual - but I nipped idea. They know when they wear them that the wheels will be taken out if they don't pay attention. And I do follow through. My husband hates that they have them, though. Too much work for him!

I. Hate. These. Shoes. I want to know who invented them, and I want this person to be sentenced to being knocked into by badly-behaved eight-year-olds flying around the mall on the stupid things for all eternity. What on earth was this person thinking about? There were already roller skates, and designated places to go use them. Roller skates and sneakers should NEVER have been combined. Skateboards, scooters and bikes in public places are annoying, but at least you can see them coming and adjsut accordingly. Good lord! Parents, please, I'm begging you. Rise up as one and stop this foolishness once and for all!

running posted this:

I can see schools banning them because they're a distraction and Giant cause it's annoying, but sometimes even kids should get to live dangerously.

it isnt just annoying in giant,it's costly. I saw two kids skid into a Giant worker from the back, he was stacking milk containers,they sent him sprawling, knocked over all the crates, milk went flowing all over and the kids just laughed. annoying? try wasteful and injurious.

"When is the last time you saw a child, who owned these shoes, take the wheels out?"

Mine children take them out daily. They have to since they wear them to school. The use the tool to take out the wheels and put in the "blanks".

As for "spoiling" my children? I am a single income household. I struggle monthly and my Mom bought them for the kids. If giving things to your children (or grandkids in this case) is spoiling them then so be it.

"but sometimes even kids should get to live dangerously"

Right, on YOUR property, where YOU will pay for the damages to your property and loved ones. Please keep your out of control brats away from me.

Is there some kind of Stupid Gene in the U.S. that makes parents blind to the faults of their shrieking terrors?

I work with kids, and they have a lot of fun with them. Teach the kids manners not to run people down, and let them have some fun!!! Yes, they might get a few injuries. They might also get injured playing soccer or baseball, dancing, learning to sew or cook, walking or running with shoes untied, or basically doing anything else. People get injured - it doesn't have to be a big deal! I want a pair of healy's!!!

I'm not a parent but have had to deal with those wheels in Sunday school class. Typically one or two of the kids will be wearing them and the rest of the kids want them. I try to teach the class while we're all sitting on the area rug in the middle of the classroom, so it's harder to get up and run around. The drawback, of course, is that it's harder for ME to get up!

I almost wish I could have a pair for grownups, but I'd use them only on the paved walkway around the lake.

A well-placed elbow into the offender as they crash into you always works well......

Consider the perceived pleasures of these shoes versus the tragic death of a 12-year-old boy wearing "heelies" in East Bridgewater, Massachusetts almost a year ago. He was hit by a car and killed. From the Boston Globe, 3/14/06:

By John R. Ellement, Globe Staff | March 14, 2006

EAST BRIDGEWATER -- Cindy Carmichael watched from the window of her Washington Street home yesterday morning as her 12-year-old son, Ryan, zoomed across the two-lane road to the family mailbox wearing his ''heelies" -- sneakers with wheels in the heels.She looked away for a moment and seconds later, when she glanced out the window again, she saw mail flying through the air. She rushed outside to find her son's crumpled body on the side of the road where he had fallen after being hit by a car whose driver apparently never saw the sixth-grader, according to Carmichael's sister and East Bridgewater police.
[snip]
.....police will also investigate whether Carmichael's footgear was a factor. Known as heelies, the sneakers have wheels in the heel that allow wearers to glide when they want to. The sneakers have been banned by many school districts around the nation due to safety concerns.

Relatives said Ryan was wearing his pair at the time. ''He did like his heelies," Maceachern said.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2006/03/14/boy_wearing_heelies_hit_killed/

And kids die walking across the street or riding a bicycle or playing sports, etc. Accidents can happen. Teach your kids resposibility and how to obey rules to minimize their risk. You can't take everything away from them!

I've had children run into me while playing on these shoes in the grocery store, the mall, and even the bank. The shoes don't particularly concern me one way or another, but it seems that some - not all - parents who purchase these shoes or permit their children to buy them don't particularly care how irresponsible their children are while wearing them. It's a courtesy issue. You children shouldn't be acting reckless to begin with, let alone when they're on wheels in public! My kids aren't perfect, but they don't have and they won't have a pair of Healys because I refuse to subject other people to the lack of caution that's typical at their ages (8 and 11).

"The occupational therapists at our elementary school have banned them. They say they are very bad for growing leg muscles!"

This sounds like a good enough reason for me to never buy them for my (hypothetical) kid.

10:54, I'm with you on banning huge purses! What do they have in there, a sewing machine?

SB, Cars kill pedestrians all the time. To blame it on footwear would be ignorant.

They do look like great fun, but do not belong in stores, malls, or worst of all - airports!! Please, keep them to the park and playground.

SB - that is a horribly sad, tragic story. But, I will argue that the car was going too fast to see the boy. And/or the boy didn't look to see if a car was coming before he crossed the road. If the boy was stopped at the side of road, he would not have been going any faster than sneakers, as it takes some time to get up to speed. Again, I think the story is horrible, but I doubt it was all because of the heelys.

my problem isn't with the kids, it's with the parents. I live in downtown DC and have more than once been injured or almost injured trying to avoid running into kids who weren't even wearing these shoes.

Once when I was jogging around the tidal basin, I took a spill that scraped up my knees and hands when a little girl dashed in front of me and I dodged to avoid kneeing her in the head.

To make matters worse, I was then subjected to a lecture from her father about how I shouldn't be doing something so dangerous as jogging in a public place where there are kids around.

He had to run off after only a brief period of time, though -- his daughter was about to wander into traffic.

"You can't take everything away from them!"

Right, and you don't have to give them everything in the first place!!

Why are some parents so stupid about their kids?

The Heelies are a cool fad...not that different from skates, or skateboards. My soon-to-be 10 year old has a pair, and he's pretty good, but he knows when/where he can use them. He fell a few times the first couple of days, but once he got past the learning curve he's done well. I don't let him wear them in inappropriate places and he knows not to even ask. It's more about the parental responsibility than kids having fun with their fads. Wait till they start to drive.......

Dad of 2;

they are very different from skates and skateboards. when was the last time you saw a kid in/on skates and skateboards in a store or airport???

All I can say is just wait until either my wife or I get smacked into by one of these kids badly enough to cause some physical damage.

The reason parents get sued for 'accidents' their kids are involved in is because they're stupid enough to just let their kids run around without supervision. Kids rolling around in stores, airports, malls, on these 'heelies' are just semi-intelligent projectiles. Parents who think otherwise are just too stupid or too self-important to care about anyone around them.

Never in my life have I wished harm on a child, but after seeing children wearing these, in front of their parents, and flying around the aisles in a grocery store, more than once I have wished I was *Frankenstein* in Big Daddy, throwing sticks in front of them...

Well. Yet another good reason to add to the list of reasons I haven't been in a mall for years. . .

I just don't get out of the way. The kid takes the hit then.

Well all the haters have come out to post today. Right here in river city: Trouble begins with "T."

We should pass a law to ban children, then all oblivious drivers, purse swingers, airline passengers and shopping cart pushers can be safe.

Ban the shoes! Its the shoes! EEEEEEEEEK.

Ladies with large silicon implants keep bumping in to me at Giant. And I dont complain. Live and let live.

I have heard that silicon implants are effective safety precations for those rollin on the Heely's tho... food for thought.

"I have heard that silicon implants are effective safety precations for those rollin on the Heely's tho... food for thought."

Yes! Give all Heely wearers implants! Wait no, that's not right...

"To make matters worse, I was then subjected to a lecture from her father about how I shouldn't be doing something so dangerous as jogging in a public place where there are kids around."

**
Good grief. Guess the world is supposed to spin around this idiot's daughter. Unbelievable!

Thank you Fo4 for your terrific insight.

By the way, what are all these kid-haters doing on this blog anyway?

My son was a first generation healy user, about 3 years ago (he was 8). He never fell, he never ran into anyone, no one ever ran into us, he never skated close to anyone, he never went fast (he was usually right next to me). He just had fun. Malls were especially good because the area is smooth and wide open. Even though he doesn't use them anymore, I would be sad if they were prohibited in malls. We like seeing them.

"Good grief. Guess the world is supposed to spin around this idiot's daughter. Unbelievable!"

Yes, it is unbelievable. No wonder there are so many vain, self-centered, useless people in this country. The monsters have been created by the parents!

1st - I cant believe the lack of Helmets used with these 'Healeys' such as w/ roller blades. 2nd - I love this qoute:"Outdoors is fine, indoors is a lawsuit waiting to happen." Posted by: Cali Esq. I mean a lawyer in waiting for Helay's accident!? Get a life will you!!!

Both of my nephews have them- I think for the right age they can be fun awesome toys for fitness and balance building.

My one nephew sadly broke his wrist when he fell using them recently. But then his older broker broke his wrist 2 years ago when he was on his skateboard. And his mother broke HER arm riding a bike when she was 12 back in the 80s.

Taking away toys because they MIGHT be riskier than just walking is stupid. And it's the kids bad behavior and the parents enabling the behavior which is the problem.

I vote yay for heelies.

I think heelies are way cool. If my kids were younger, they would want a pair. I see them all the time, everywhere. However, I don't see kids hitting anyone or anything like that. Mall walkers...they are ones mowing people down. A few bad eggs must be around.

I was in a sports bar a couple of weeks ago watching football and saw a bunch of kids (brought there by their completely oblivious and idiotic fathers) skating around on the healeys right in front of the doorway where the waitresses entered the room loaded down with trays of food and drink. It actually looked like a fun place to skate, so I can't blame the kids themselves for doing it -- but the waitresses were totally bug-eyed due to the near-impacts until the manager come over to talk to the dads. Those dads are the sort of people that should be forced to undergo hundreds of hours of "how to be a responsible parent" class ---but even that probably wouldn't be any use, since I don't know if you can teach basic common sense.

to those of you making comments about kid-haters, I think most people don't hate the kids, they just wish the parents would teach their kids manners (and then monitor their behavior). What is interesting is that these kids are usually at an age where they are with a parent, which usually means the parent is in control. Some of us just wish the parent WAS in control...

Fantastic now I know exactly what I am getting my nephews and the children of my close friends. Heelies!!! Absolutely!!!

Heelies, sugar, wind em up, give em back to thier parents whirling like tops. I'll arrange to return the kids in some public place. With luck we can take out a few stuffed shirt adults in the process.

The other day in the supermarket a little boy with these shoes came careening around a corner, narrowly missing a couple of other people. My shopping cart was between me and him -- I didn't try to move it out of the way because I thought it would teach him a lesson if he knocked himself silly being out of control like that. He managed to miss the cart and me and will live to terrorize another day...

Parents should also note the liabity issues regarding the use of the shoes in crowded areas. Under the laws of most states, parents can be held liable for failing to supervise their children, and the children themselves can be held liable in some circumstances.

If little Johnny runs into a little old lady who falls and breaks her hip, the cost of the shoes just went from $60 to several thousand dollars very quickly.

JJ's got it. Sterling Park put it well. Yep, I've seen the oblivious kids wheeling around, paying no attention to others in the store, etc. I've also seen oblivious kids running or walking around, paying no attention to others around them and subsequently running into them. It's not the heelys; it's the upbringing. And that, not to say even if you bring them up right, they'll act right: They are kids, and they're not perfect. Not to excuse bad or oblivious behavior, but to continue teaching them right behavior. My child has them; she knows when and when not to use them. She's very conscientious in public not to mow people down or to heel around if others are nearby. And she listens immediately if I need to catch her. This isn't rocket science (parenting). Just be consistent and don't overindulge them.

"I think most people don't hate the kids,"

I hate the kids AND their A-hole parents!!!

to the person that posted at 3:47 anonymously - thanks for sharing that with us...

"I didn't try to move it out of the way because I thought it would teach him a lesson if he knocked himself silly being out of control like that. He managed to miss the cart and me and will live to terrorize another day..."

1. Nice attitude. Seriously...you should get an award...

2. Would you have gotten your lazy a$$ out of the way if the kid had "come careening around the corner" because he was simply running and not wearing the heelies? I bet you would have.

Oh, and I especially like the advice (from some other genius) to just elbow the seven year old in the chest. Yeah, a blow to the solar plexus, that'll show 'em!

People get bumped into all the time at the mall or the grocery store because the people around them (kids AND adults) aren't paying attention. It has NOTHING to do with the shoes. Just walking on the type of floor that's ideal for heelies (flat and slick) is dangerous in high heels and flats without traction. Are we going to ban those now too?

The beauty of Healy's is that they're skates and shoes at the same time. If I was 10 again, I'd most definitely have a pair. You can't tell kids to take their shoes off in a grocery store. Most kids I've seen aren't flying around at high speeds anyway. More often than not, their parents are dragging them along like a suitcase in an airport. Furthermore, I don't think we should be discouraging our children from having fun and staying active. Let the kids be kids.

My 11-year-old and 9-year-old have had them for a year, and I LOVE them!! "Take out the trash, darling." Yes, mommy, responds the child, thrilled to zoom down the driveway. "Go get me something from aisle 10," yes mommy, and away they go!

BUT, my children under age 8 aren't getting them b/c I don't think they've developed the balance PLUS judgment you need for them.

Bottom line: older children only. But in this area, people seem to treat all children as the same age once they turn 5...so it's the parents who lack judgment as well.

"2. Would you have gotten your lazy a$$ out of the way if the kid had "come careening around the corner" because he was simply running and not wearing the heelies? I bet you would have."

Nope! It's not my job to move because some little brat is behaving badly. If he hits my cart it's not my fault unless I pushed it toward him, which I absolutely did not do. If I am standing still and he comes screech around the corner wearing skates in a supermarket and knocks himself out on a cart, shelf, or other item that is often located in a supermarket, he can only blame himself for his behavior, or his parents for failing to teach him proper manners.

And incidentally, I was at the supermarket with my 60-year-old mother who has osteoperosis at the time the little demon-spawn was endangering others. A fall for a woman that age with a bone-density problem could cause serious and permanent injury.

I just hope these parents have some type of insurance to cover their liability for these brats (sometimes homeowner's or umbrella policies might possibly provide coverage).

"I didn't try to move it out of the way because I thought it would teach him a lesson if he knocked himself silly being out of control like that. He managed to miss the cart and me and will live to terrorize another day..."

Yeah, why should others have to go out of their way to keep a miscreant from hurting him/herself? Sounds like a job for parents.

And one other option for kids endangering others is to call the police. Getting hauled off in handcuffs and having a few court appearances for juvenile delinquency is another way to teach a lesson.

My husband wants a pair. Do you think a 44 year old is responsible enough for heelys?

How are you going to explain to your kid when he gets his first job why 25% of his first paycheck from the local fast food joint is being garnished in satisfaction of a judgment entered against him when he was 8 years old for mowing over someone's grandma?

Sue,

He's an even bigger projectile than the kids! I think it depends on how graceful he is. There's nothing sadder than the middle-aged man trying to learn to roller blade in the park.

>

Their safety is their parent's worry. MY worry is MY safety...and yes I have cause to worry. I don't do malls, or other areas where there's going to be crowds...BUT I darn near got killed by kids using these off the steps of the church where I work...much like a skateborder would. I am currently on crutches because of that crash. The repsonse from the kid's mother? "Use another door." The door I came out of is stained glass and wood..I could not see the kid coming off the steps at full tilt. He was tresspassing on church property and had been warned several times that day..which is why his mother was watching over him.)
I frankly don't care what anyone else does, what they give their kids, or how that impacts the kids..I do however think that I have the right to be safe from out of control parents and children.

I vowed my kid (7 1/2) would never had a pair for all the reasons mentioned ... until my mother surprised him with Heelys for Christmas. I was silently seething over this, but my son was thrilled.

A few weeks later, I bought a pair for myself so I could at least help him get the hang of them because they are tricker to use than they look. The sad thing is, neither of us has figured it out yet.

Assuming we both eventually get coordinated enough to actually wheel around, we will not use them in stores, church, school, or any other crowded public place. Oh, and my mother (73) wants a pair, but my dad is afraid she'll break a hip.

My 8YO loves them. I enjoy watching him love them. He knows they aren't acceptable in church; his school has banned them. He himself takes the wheels out regularly. His favorite place to wear them? At the airport and the aquarium.

Also, I've never seen any of the careening about that others have, never seen out-of-control heelies in malls, stores, or anywhere.

Oh well. I'll have to find something more significant to complain about.

What kind of wussie society are we turning into? Everyone here seems to have a horror story about how someone was "almost killed" by a kid doing "something bad/misbehaving" (walking, running, skating, jumping, playing, etc etc). Good grief. For every story of some kid almost killing/maiming an innocent adult there are millions of kids running around on Heelys that are NOT killing people. Honest.

I can only wonder what kind of childhood some of these overprotective ninnies are giving their kids - no skates, no skateboards, wear a helmet if you are running around, no dodgeball, blah blah blah.

There are parents in my neighborhood who drive their little darlings to the bus stop (3 houses away) so they don't have to stand in the cold. It makes me laugh, do they not know how embarassing this must be to the kids (and themselves to other parents)?

Be a good parent, teach your kids how to behave (they won't always listen, no matter how good you are) and cross your fingers.

But don't put them in a bubble and take away all the fun parts of childhood that give them a thrill and let them experiment and grow a bit beyond your own experiences.

My kid skateboards (quite well for a 9 year old), heelys, in-line skates, jumps on a trampoline, plays football with his friends and amazingly has not killed or maimed himself or any innocent old ladies or poor adults wandering the aisles at Giant.

And we wonder why kids are obese? Why can't the kids just walk? Most kids have trouble just doing that!!!

Regarding the skates and skateboards "being the same hazard" -- helmets are needed with those.

I hate them. And I hope the fad ends soon.

I'm jealous of my son's Heelies. Yes, we've had to clarify where and when they can be worn. Yes, they make him walk idiotically when he wears them in places he can't skate. But he has a great time with them, loves to be outside because of them (and other things with wheels), and has never yet fallen or hurt himself, despite his tendency to go faster than I prefer. They look like so much fun, I want a pair!

kids have heelys and they are fun

unfortunately the best way to learn how to use them is by helping mom or dad push a shopping cart until they get the hang of them but never in a busy store - I am still the parent afterall

"And we wonder why kids are obese? Why can't the kids just walk? Most kids have trouble just doing that!!!"

Actually, it takes quite a bit of effort to use heelies. It's less effort than running, but it takes tremendous balance (so it's a wonderful core exercise!) and the kids only get to glide on the wheels if they get a fairly good push off. So, they walk/jog for a few steps to get a good push off, work their core while gliding for 10-15 feet (if they're really good and really lucky), and then have to start again to get another glide.

Sorry, but put up against all the other popular kid activities like staring slack-jawed at the tv or staring slack-jawed at the gameboy or DS while working your thumbs, heelies just aren't the cause of the childhood obesity epidemic.

These awful things should be banned in stores everywhere! I find them quite annoying. I dont know why parents allow their kids to where it when they to the mall. i have see kid zooming through the mall and almost knocking over shoppers with this stupid shoe. Argh.

I don't hate kids. I've got three of them and while I'm not 'perfect father' material, I've managed to teach them to respect other people and other people's property. No, I categorically hate the parents who decided to reproduce and then decide that kids are too much effor to deal with so they decide to let society raise and supervise their spawn.

Things sure have changed in the 40+ years since I was running around on skateboards, bikes, sleds, anything with wheels. I still remember when skates in shoes were first introduced back in the '70s. What's changed is that my parents made sure we knew that there were places to play and places where we couldn't. Grocery stores and other crowded places are NOT where kids should be playing, much less rollerskating.

And guess what? The minute Giant or Safeway gets sued because they didn't do something to prevent this situation, they pass the cost onto the rest of us because their insurance premiums go up.

I don't care if you ban the damn heely things in totality or not. All I want is for businesses to get a backbone and ban them in malls and stores and bars until their feeble-brained 'parents' get a clue that these locations are NOT playgrounds, they are places where lots of people go to conduct business.

If you want to ban anything in totality, you should ban these moronic parents from not only 'raising' the kids they currently have but also from having any more of them if they think that a grocery store or a crowded shopping mall is the appropriate place for kids to play with these things because they are "smooth and flat". That's just rediculous.

I'll keep that 'logic' in mind when my oldest daughter decides to suddenly switch lanes because the one next to her is smoother and flater than her current one; in the process running you off the road and into a tree.

A kid in my son's cub scout den wore Heelies to a scout meeting once. That particular night, it was not ok, because they were using power tools (saws and drills), hand tools (screwdrivers, hammers, etc.) as well as wood stain and paint. The kid was wheeling around the room, and the leader repeatedly asked him to stop. The kid didn't stop; I don't think it was on purpose, I think he was just used to wheeling around and was doing it w/out thinking. Finally the leader chewed out the parent.

The parent took the kid aside and told him he had to stop wheeling. The kid didn't understand why not. Sadly, the dad didn't understand either. "Just don't do it anymore so we don't get yelled at." Duh.

I am a young teen and one of my younger neighbors had a pair. My sister and I of course both had to have a pair because we were so jelous of how easy they could travel and we were stuck running behind them. Anyways, I have seen other kids with heelys and they roll out of control. I dont like it, and yes it is a safety concern but it isnt about the shoes that are causing problems its the people wearing them. Most kids dont take the time of day to think about how fast they are going, who or what they might hit or scare. And knowing how annoying it is to be almost run over by a person in heelys I made sure I was careful around others. In stores I would heely slowly or not heely at all in heavily crowed sections or places in a store. At the end of isles in grocery stores I always stop to make sure I dont runover anyone and make a fool out of myself.

Basically what I'm trying to say is the shoes are not the problem, the people inside them are. If you are a decent person who has respect for others and cares about not irrating customers or running over them, should be perfectly fine with heelys in a public place such as a store. But people who are the complete opposite should not wear heelys in public places but in parks or other areas. That's why I think it is wrong to ban them from stores and such when decent people like me love to heely but I do not irritate customers when doing so. It would be really sad if decent people cant heely in a store because some careless person caused an accident.

Instead of banning them, stores should put signs out that say do not heely or skate faster than you can run, and please have proper manners for fellow customers which include being careful when skating and have manners or their will be fines and other consequences if spotted breaking rules or customer complaints.

I think this idea would better work than ruining the fun for good mannered people such as myself and it will punish and teach those who arent instead of the good poeple too.

Sorry, that solution won't work. The bottom line is that regardless of what signs stores post most parents and kids will simply ignore them.

The point is, and I don't understand why people can't figure this out, is that stores and other places of business are not where children should be running or wheeling around. There are places to play. They are called playgrounds, schoolyards, backyards, gyms, etc. Go play there. You don't need to be playing or running or rolling in grocery stores or shopping malls or anywhere other than areas where we as adults would otherwise expect you kids to be playing.

And parents who can't get that through their thick skulls are the ones who are ruining it for you "good mannered" people. Not us, not the stores who think these things should be banned from use. And I don't think anyone has said that heelies should be banned from being sold, just banned from being used in certain places. You're not allowed to skateboard or bicycle in Giant stores, so why should you be allowed to heelie?

Sorry, that solution won't work. The bottom line is that regardless of what signs stores post most parents and kids will simply ignore them.

The point is, and I don't understand why people can't figure this out, is that stores and other places of business are not where children should be running or wheeling around. There are places to play. They are called playgrounds, schoolyards, backyards, gyms, etc. Go play there. You don't need to be playing or running or rolling in grocery stores or shopping malls or anywhere other than areas where we as adults would otherwise expect you kids to be playing.

And parents who can't get that through their thick skulls are the ones who are ruining it for you "good mannered" people. Not us, not the stores who think these things should be banned from use. And I don't think anyone has said that heelies should be banned from being sold, just banned from being used in certain places. You're not allowed to skateboard or bicycle in Giant stores, so why should you be allowed to heelie?

Sorry, that solution won't work. The bottom line is that regardless of what signs stores post most parents and kids will simply ignore them.

The point is, and I don't understand why people can't figure this out, is that stores and other places of business are not where children should be running or wheeling around. There are places to play. They are called playgrounds, schoolyards, backyards, gyms, etc. Go play there. You don't need to be playing or running or rolling in grocery stores or shopping malls or anywhere other than areas where we as adults would otherwise expect you kids to be playing.

And parents who can't get that through their thick skulls are the ones who are ruining it for you "good mannered" people. Not us, not the stores who think these things should be banned from use. And I don't think anyone has said that heelies should be banned from being sold, just banned from being used in certain places. You're not allowed to skateboard or bicycle in Giant stores, so why should you be allowed to heelie?

Everybody needs to chill out. Complaining about kids is the #1 old geezer past time.Be pro-active and teach your children respect of others and get on with your life.