Family History: The Meltdown Vest

Always slow down and watch out when you see such a garment worn with the above expressions.

When my son was about four years old he asked me about a reflective vest I wore for cycling. "It's a meltdown vest," I told him. "I put it on when I'm having a meltdown to warn others to be careful."

I suppose I am guilty of instilling in my kids an irrational avoidance of all road maintenance workers, for my son did later comment that a flagger on a street repair project was having a bad day ("Look, Dad, he's wearing a meltdown vest!").

At times when my kids were having meltdowns I suggested the vest should be worn, but I'm sure any parent out there can guess how well that was received.

For the purposes of illustration we made a video to show how the vest might be used. It's not my favorite video as the contents are just a little too real.