I used to give my son rides on the tractor & let him steer, but I never did it with the blades engaged. He's 13 now & I can't even bribe him to get on it now!
Let them ride on the tractor with with you, not that is safe, but what the hell, got to have some fun. I did it with my kids and we both loved it.
NEVER let them ride with you or be in the yard with the blades running. You are an idiot if you do this. Go ahead, all of you idiots who did it and tell me nothing happened. You where very, very, lucky, is all I can say.
I work for a farm machinery company that sells these lawn tractors, and I do not want to tell you how many reports I have seen of poor kids that have been malled because of their brain dead parents. It is really sad. Even sadder when the dumb *** parents bring a law suit against the MFG because it was "The MFG Fault" their child was hurt. And we wonder why lawers make so much money.