Looking at your signature, it appears that your youngest is 6. Correct?
When I first read the thread, I thought that maybe you were talking about a 2 or 3 year old.
At your children's ages, no, I would definitely not make them walk with their hands on their heads. By 6 years old, most kids, unless there is some sort of special need going on, should be able to walk through a store normally without grabbing a glass jar off of the shelf or something like that.
I walk through Target and touch the towels, touch the clothes, etc. And I don't care if my 6yo does, too. I don't care if my 6yo touches the stuff at eye level at the checkout lane, either. I don't let her eat it or make a mess, but I pick up magazines and things at the checkout, too, so why can't she?
---------- Post added at 08:24 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:01 AM ----------
Just wanted to add that yes, I think that is embarrassing. I wouldn't tell a 6yo to do that, and most definitely not an 8 or 10 year old. And I'm assuming you're not having a 15 year old do that, too.