Musical actress Jung Young-joo recently opened up about using a dog harness to help manage her son’s ADHD.
On May 7, a video titled “Even ‘Strong Sister’ Jung Young-joo gave up! Stories of her legendary troublemaker son” was uploaded to the YouTube channel ‘Neighbor Couple Seo Hyun-chul and Jung Jae-eun’. Appearing alongside Jang Hyun-sung, Jung shared her parenting journey. She revealed that her son is now 25 and looked back on the challenges of caring for him during his childhood struggle with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder).
Jung shared, “Since my son was like a hundred people in one, I actually bought a dog harness for him.” She explained that he would often suddenly bolt into the street at crosswalks even before the light changed. Because standard children’s harnesses were too easy for him to slip out of, she opted for a sturdier dog harness to keep him secure.
She also recalled some shocking reactions from strangers. “When I was holding the leash, some people actually asked me, ‘What breed is he?'” Jung admitted, “At the time, I didn’t even realize I should be embarrassed. I would just tell them, ‘He’s a person. Not a dog, a person. I’m sorry.'” She calmly added, “I didn’t have the luxury to be heartbroken. Ensuring my child’s safety and preventing accidents was far more important than how others looked at us.”
This meant their outdoor activities were limited. “We couldn’t go to kids’ cafes because those places require letting the children run free, so we spent a lot of time in fields and mountains instead,” she recalled. She noted that the harness was a desperate last resort and wasn’t used for long, though it was still a painful experience.
Jung Young-joo has previously spoken about her son’s ADHD diagnosis and her 2012 divorce on shows like Channel A’s ‘Dr. Oh’s Golden Counseling Center’ and SBS’ ‘My Little Old Boy’.
