Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I really try not to judge all parents based on information that I see for a few minutes in an public place. All of us are lazy sometimes and you cannot tell by looking at someone for a few minutes in a public place whether they are always lazy or just being lazy at the moment you see them. Look we are all lazy sometimes.
When we use external devices to control our kids we neglect to teach them to control themselves. If we do this once in a while because we are preoccupied with something else it really is not a problem. All of us are lazy every now and then. It only becomes a problem when a parent NEVER teaches their kids self control.
I know quite a few people who have teenagers now who never gave their kids the opportunity to control themselves when they were small. These kids have trouble controlling themselves when adults are not present to control the situation. Some of them have done some real damage (one wound up needing surgery on his had from a fight) because they had always been controlled BY THEIR PARENTS, instead of being taught to control themselves.
I just wrote a long post to basically say that leashes themselves are not that bad if used as an occasional safety net, but can be a symptom of a larger problem if parents NEVER give their kids a chance to learn to control themselves.
I have 5 kids. Now they're old enough to not have to be watched like a hawk, but I used to have to sometimes take five kids under the age of nine by myself to the mall, zoo, amusement park etc. I only had two hands, plus if I'm shopping at the mall, I have shopping bags too. Strollers we ALWAYS a hassle and since my kids like to run away when I wasn't looking leashes were a good option.
I used to HATE leashes when I had my first kid. I'd look at the parents and think, wow, ya can't even watch your own kids. (don't assume!!!!) They're not dogs! Well now I know what some parents go through and I'm totally for leashes. The little backpack ones are adorable. I had four and it worked out when I let the kids pick out what animal they wanted. It actually got them kinda exicted about wearing a leash.
Do we care more about our animals than our children?
Quote:
Originally Posted by gdude
I was shopping for a birthday gift yesterday at Metropolis, (The local mall) and happen to look over to the other side of the square at the playground and saw a parent with her little boy and she had him on a leash. I( not even close to being a parent yet because I'm 17) thought it was terrible. I know little kids can be a little rambuncious but are they so bad that they have to be put on leashes? It was just one lady with nothing else but a purse and her kid. It's not like she had her hands full and couldnt keep her kid close.
What do you guys think?
I think that was a parent who will probably not have her child run over by a car or lost to criminals. She knows where her child is. She also knows that child needs some freedom to explore. I don't like the idea either, but we are living in a different world today and some have adjusted. She is probably before her time.
I think that people that get up on their high horse and judge people by something so simple as using a leash on their child just because they didn't use one, have issues. They are probably the type of people that judge other people all day long. It doesn't matter if the child has special needs or not. If a parent thinks that her child is safer in the leash that is and should always remain the parents perogotive. A leash is way better than a child running out into the street and this is a possiblity for any child, no matter how well behaved. It only takes a second.
I didn't use a leash on my son (just turned 7) but looking back I wish I would have. Using one would not have caused my son to be any different one bit unless I decided to tie him up all day, but that is not what we are talking about. It simply would have made things a million times easier on me and that is just commen sense. No different from holding his hand except it would have given me full use of both hands. My son always rode in a stroller great but sometimes you don't have that stroller with you.
It is up to the individual parent. Just as using a leash does not mean parent is lazy, not using one does not mean parent is great.
Another thought that no one mentioned...perhaps this mother has health or physical problems that prevent her from moving quickly. (recovering from surgery, severe arthritis, waiting for a transplant)
So instead of keeping him home where she has better control over his safety, she chose to make a compromise that allows him to get outside and into the fresh air and still be safe considering her inability to physically keep up with him.
Maybe we can pass some laws to put people like drunk drivers, child molesters or pornographers, or bullying teenagers on leashes.
You know, make the law that they can only leave their houses if their spouses or parents have them on leashes.
It would make these dredges on society public spectacles (letting them think about their place in society) and perhaps make their spouses and parents humiliated enough to finally start doing the responsible thing for them.
Considering that this is a forum for parenting - I would say it's something for parents of some bratty or bullying teenagers to be required to do.
Doesn't bother me a bit. Parents know their kids best, and if they chose to use a harness (lol referring to it as a leash!), they have their reasons.
I actually bought two harnesses with the cute little animal backpacks when my twins were just beginning to walk, thinking maybe I'd have reason to use them in the future. I didn't need to use them, but I would have used them if necessary. I eventually gave them to my friend, who criticized me for buying a leash. She used one with her daughter .
With my first I had a stroller. When she was old enough to want to walk, I taught her to walk along and hold the side of the handle of the stroller. It was a real big safety thing with me and at one point I think I did have a leash for her, as a precaution. When I had my second, I taught her to also to walk along and hold the stroller and later hold onto the cart in Wal-Mart or the grocery store. At the same time I was teaching the oldest to get out of the car and "touch the side of the door till I am ready" while I was getting the baby out of the carseat. With the second I taught her the same way but at some point I think I also had the leash. It was not actually necessary since I held their hands, ect. I didn't deal well with that running away thing. I know one tried it one time and I spanked her well enough that she didn't do it again. That was probably all of 4 swats on top of a diaper for all of you bleeding hearts out there who wouldn't EVER consider swatting a child. We also did STOP. If I call out STOP you better STOP right where you are. No matter what. It is not a suggestion it is an order. It is a safety thing also. I can tell you, they STOPPED.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Do we care more about our animals than our children?
.
