Kids on a leash

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hold their hands. It's a lot more acceptable in this culture, where tethering anyone with a leash is pretty dehumanizing.

and when they pull out of your hand hold and break away from you, running as fast as they can towards the street while you are still dealing with your other children and cannot just leave them in the stroller or playing while you chase the runner, who just runs faster when you call to them?

Really, you can't sufficiently hold onto your child's hand?

I can hold onto my child's hand just fine. But when my son becomes antsy and drops to ground in the middle of a busy sidewalk (doing the passive resistance move), I can only do so much.

He's two.

Should I sit and reason with him like so many of you "claim" you can do? b/c that really works . . .

You're all fooling yourselves if you think toddlers suddenly can be trained to reason.

And actually, PP, I'm questioning your ability to "sufficiently hold onto" a child's hand. Are you implying that perhaps a bit of manhandling is in order?

You really don't see the difference between restraining a child remotely through a leash and holding his hand? Being in human contact with him so he recognizes the signals given through the change in your grip on him or the way you position your arm? Being able to bend down and tell him he needs to cooperate or stay close or whatever? Rather than trying to wrangle him from 5 feet away?

If your kid drops to the sidewalk, pick him up and carry him. He's two.

You obviously don't have a 2 yo boy. They're feisty and active. And sometimes carrying them can be dangerous. And let me add that I have an older daughter who, although quite calm, shouldn't be pushed aside as I "carry" my boy while he thrashes around.

You are clearly clueless.

[Anonymous]

OP back here. What a surprise, I posted last night and it's not 24h late and we already have 4 pages of people trying to justify their choices.
If you're so comfortable with it why be so defensive?
No I'm not a parent of an infant anymore, no my children were not all docile while toddlers, no I'm not a nanny from whichever country you said.
I've had enough children around me to learn all the good and bad about them.
What I can't understand is which values are driving our priorities.
Is a shopping/errand trip more important than my child's education and development? I'd rather have the errands done quickly instead of taking the time to teach my child how to behave in public while we're out?
How important can Target shopping be that I won't be able to hold my child's hand to the point they'll be let to run out the store? What kind of children am I raising if I can't get them to hold my hand?
I completely understand the need for such measures if the parent has a disability but I just can't understand why a healthy adult would not be able to control a running child.

We're getting more and more distant from our children and it really scares me. We're leaving them to cry longer with no assistance, we're being told that comforting them will "spoil" them. We're restraining them away from us, teaching them to "self sooth" when they're looking for body contact, reassurance and comfort. We have less and less body contact with them with all the new gadgets like "snap and go" things that minimize the manipulation of the baby (to the point that they're getting flat heads!); and instead of teaching them boundaries we would rather just strap them and pull on a leash. Like if they're irrational animals that need to be caged - should we talk about jumperoos, playing gated areas and the like?
Oh I won't even start going that way...
We would rather have our "me time" and cage the baby so baby will be "safe" um-hum...

I feel like crying! What kind of adults will they be?

[Anonymous]

My, but that's a lot of self-righteousness. Are you sure you were able to read the whole thread from all the way up on that cross?

[Anonymous]

OMG - Consult a therapist and cry to him/her. You're a mess. It's a g-damn leash.

Anonymous wrote:OP back here. What a surprise, I posted last night and it's not 24h late and we already have 4 pages of people trying to justify their choices.
If you're so comfortable with it why be so defensive?
No I'm not a parent of an infant anymore, no my children were not all docile while toddlers, no I'm not a nanny from whichever country you said.
I've had enough children around me to learn all the good and bad about them.
What I can't understand is which values are driving our priorities.
Is a shopping/errand trip more important than my child's education and development? I'd rather have the errands done quickly instead of taking the time to teach my child how to behave in public while we're out?
How important can Target shopping be that I won't be able to hold my child's hand to the point they'll be let to run out the store? What kind of children am I raising if I can't get them to hold my hand?
I completely understand the need for such measures if the parent has a disability but I just can't understand why a healthy adult would not be able to control a running child.

We're getting more and more distant from our children and it really scares me. We're leaving them to cry longer with no assistance, we're being told that comforting them will "spoil" them. We're restraining them away from us, teaching them to "self sooth" when they're looking for body contact, reassurance and comfort. We have less and less body contact with them with all the new gadgets like "snap and go" things that minimize the manipulation of the baby (to the point that they're getting flat heads!); and instead of teaching them boundaries we would rather just strap them and pull on a leash. Like if they're irrational animals that need to be caged - should we talk about jumperoos, playing gated areas and the like?
Oh I won't even start going that way...
We would rather have our "me time" and cage the baby so baby will be "safe" um-hum...

I feel like crying! What kind of adults will they be?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OMG - Consult a therapist and cry to him/her. You're a mess. It's a g-damn leash.

with a child strapped to it.

[Anonymous]

OP you are being extremely dramatic!! You see someone with one of these "leashes" and then you assume that these parents are horrible parents on every front??? Really? My toddler could not be more loved. I probably kiss that poor kid 100 times a day. We also hold hands when she'll let me. We sit down and eat dinner together. I have the loveliest "conversations" with her all day long. I stay at home with her. I did CIO to teach her to sleep but since she learned to soothe herself I'm the first to come in and snuggle when she wakes up with teething pain. You are making some pretty irrisponsible assumptions that just because a mom is scared her child might run off in a parking lot or something and has decided to use a "leash" as a back up, that they are distant and out of touch parent. I haven't used one se leashes but I would definitely consider it because I gave birth to a runner. And her safety is first and foremost to me because I love her more than life itself. Did you ever think that might be the motivation for the "leash" and not because a parent doesn't feel like parenting?? You are moste definitely a dramatic mess!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OMG - Consult a therapist and cry to him/her. You're a mess. It's a g-damn leash.

with a child strapped to it.

I used one a few times. I'm a bad mother and my children hate me. I also always checked to make sure no shoe laces dangled on an escalator and made them stand in the middle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP back here. What a surprise, I posted last night and it's not 24h late and we already have 4 pages of people trying to justify their choices.
If you're so comfortable with it why be so defensive?
No I'm not a parent of an infant anymore, no my children were not all docile while toddlers, no I'm not a nanny from whichever country you said.
I've had enough children around me to learn all the good and bad about them.
What I can't understand is which values are driving our priorities.
Is a shopping/errand trip more important than my child's education and development? I'd rather have the errands done quickly instead of taking the time to teach my child how to behave in public while we're out?
How important can Target shopping be that I won't be able to hold my child's hand to the point they'll be let to run out the store? What kind of children am I raising if I can't get them to hold my hand?
I completely understand the need for such measures if the parent has a disability but I just can't understand why a healthy adult would not be able to control a running child.

We're getting more and more distant from our children and it really scares me. We're leaving them to cry longer with no assistance, we're being told that comforting them will "spoil" them. We're restraining them away from us, teaching them to "self sooth" when they're looking for body contact, reassurance and comfort. We have less and less body contact with them with all the new gadgets like "snap and go" things that minimize the manipulation of the baby (to the point that they're getting flat heads!); and instead of teaching them boundaries we would rather just strap them and pull on a leash. Like if they're irrational animals that need to be caged - should we talk about jumperoos, playing gated areas and the like?
Oh I won't even start going that way...
We would rather have our "me time" and cage the baby so baby will be "safe" um-hum...

I feel like crying! What kind of adults will they be?

This you cut and paste this from another thread somewhere? I hate when the typing is all funny and looks like the text from an email that's been forwarded one too many times.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hold their hands. It's a lot more acceptable in this culture, where tethering anyone with a leash is pretty dehumanizing.

and when they pull out of your hand hold and break away from you, running as fast as they can towards the street while you are still dealing with your other children and cannot just leave them in the stroller or playing while you chase the runner, who just runs faster when you call to them?

Really, you can't sufficiently hold onto your child's hand?

I can hold onto my child's hand just fine. But when my son becomes antsy and drops to ground in the middle of a busy sidewalk (doing the passive resistance move), I can only do so much.

He's two.

Should I sit and reason with him like so many of you "claim" you can do? b/c that really works . . .

You're all fooling yourselves if you think toddlers suddenly can be trained to reason.

And actually, PP, I'm questioning your ability to "sufficiently hold onto" a child's hand. Are you implying that perhaps a bit of manhandling is in order?

You really don't see the difference between restraining a child remotely through a leash and holding his hand? Being in human contact with him so he recognizes the signals given through the change in your grip on him or the way you position your arm? Being able to bend down and tell him he needs to cooperate or stay close or whatever? Rather than trying to wrangle him from 5 feet away?

If your kid drops to the sidewalk, pick him up and carry him. He's two.

totally agree

with parents willing to distance themselves from actively parenting their children it's not surprise that so many kids are out of control.

Neither of you must have two year olds. I'm 5'2. My two year old is 35 pounds, more than half my height (thanks to DH) and strong. Why should I have to worry about him running away in an airport or near a cliff when he go walk at Great Falls? Because I am taking the danger out of the situation yet still allowing him to get out and enjoy fun activities I am a bad parent?

[Anonymous]

NP here. I also think the leashes are waaaay weird. No offense, leashers. But I am curious- don't you leashers feel incredibly self conscious while using it? Most people I know, parents and non parents are horrified when seeing the leash. Also, I know you all want to justify the leash by having "active" children. Well, I have 2 toddler twin boys and they are very active but no, not going to use the leash on them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP here. I also think the leashes are waaaay weird. No offense, leashers. But I am curious- don't you leashers feel incredibly self conscious while using it? Most people I know, parents and non parents are horrified when seeing the leash. Also, I know you all want to justify the leash by having "active" children. Well, I have 2 toddler twin boys and they are very active but no, not going to use the leash on them.

Do you feel self conscious when you breastfeed in public? Do you feel self conscious when you drop your kid off at daycare for 12 hours while you work? Sometimes we have to do what *WE* know is best for our child despite what the judgements of other people.

[Anonymous]

I'm a mom of three-year old twins. Does anyone here who is anti-leash really think it's a bad idea for a mom of toddler TWINS to use a leash when it's necessary to take both out at one time? I truly ask this. I actually never used them, but looking back, I realize that I would have saved myself much stress had I done so. A lot of you are truly clueless if you don't realize that different children are different -- and that two is a different story than one. For instance, the person who asks what is so hard about holding your child's hand. Well, nothing. And I have two hands, and depending on what we were doing, those hands served me very well -- or very poorly. Think about things, please!

To the mom of the twin boys, you can say you're not going to leash them, and you probably won't (as I never did), but it's for the reason you mention -- self-consciousness -- not because it doesn't make sense. You know it, I know it. Best of luck during the coming year.

[Anonymous]

This is crazy. Some of these responses are so inflammatory and pointless, it has to be a troll.


Don't like leashes? The simple solution is to not use one your child. No need to get all judgy on the rest of us.

[Anonymous]

Can anyone please post a link to the 'backpack' mentioned earlier in the thread, the one that keeps the kid leashed? My DC is not walking yet, but who knows, he might turn into one of those 'runners'.

[Anonymous]

Here's a link to the kind of leash backpack people are talking about:

http://www.amazon.com/Jeep-90210R-Backpack-Harness-Lion/dp/B002RLVGOE/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=baby-products&qid=1275342114&sr=8-5

Oh, and OP has to be a troll. I mean, if you don't like a leash, don't use one. But there are PLENTY of perfectly good reasons for using one, and to dismiss all parents who use them as bad, and not caring about their kids is flat-out ridiculous and just plain old stupid.