How do I insist on the booster seat when my son says it embarrasses him?
Parenting"It's ten minutes down the road," my brother said. My nine-year-old was already climbing into his car with two cousins.
Our booster was in my car, which my partner had taken to work. Without it, the lap belt sat across my son's stomach and the shoulder belt touched his neck. I stopped the trip. They were going to a film, and by the time we arranged different transport they had missed the first showing.
[NHTSA guidance says a child should continue using a booster until the vehicle belt fits properly](https://www.nhtsa.gov/vehicle-safety/car-seats-and-booster-seats). I'm not treating a short journey as an exception. My son understands that I stopped the car, but says I made him look like the little cousin.
I had told my brother about the booster weeks ago and assumed he remembered. Now my son wants me to promise I won't have the conversation in front of his cousins again. What can I promise about the planning and the embarrassment while keeping the restraint requirement clear?