Sunday, March 21, 2010

Kid leash = Child cruelty?



You see them at the mall. You see them at the airport. You see them at the aquarium and museum.

Kids.on.Leashes.

Companies who make them try to make them look and sound sooo. NOOO! Leashes are now nestled inside a teddy bear or penguin bag pack that toddlers run around in. I call em kid leashes (cause that’s what they are!), but they’re being sold with such wonderful loving names like Mommy’s Helper Kid Keeper Harness and Playful Pal Bag pack Harness. They are leashes. For our children. Something is very very wrong with this picture. We leash our dogs because they are animals.

Why leash children? I’ve heard the “logic” behind it. Parents are concerned for their child’s safety in crowded places. Young children tend to be unpredictable so instead of holding their hand, they put a leash on them and call it a day. Hmm…I still don’t get it. Carry them, pick them up, or put them in a stroller. Why would someone even consider a leash? It has never crossed my mind to use a leash on my 4 year old daughter. Where ever she was, I was. No questions. She never left my sight, especially in crowded places. Kids are naturally curious little creatures. They love wandering and seeing the world on their own without being under the watchful eye of Mommy or Daddy. I get it kids are curious.

In April of 2009 a woman was arrested and convicted of first degree child cruelty, for using a leash on her child. While this case was severe (the woman was dragging her child on the ground) but is putting your child on a leash be considering child cruelty. I know it may be a stretch, but it’s something to think about.

Based on a poll at parentsdish.com, the majority of readers wouldn’t use a leash on their child.
Never. It’s ridiculous and over the top 46%
I might, depending on the outing 32%
Yes. You never know what could happen 22%
  
Are leashes silly? Sensible? Child cruelty? Bottom line is as far as I’m concerned kid leashes are for lazy parents who don’t want to keep up with active kids. I’ll never understand it.


2 comments:

  1. Hi There,

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    Half Brazilian-Half Irish
    http://halfbrazilianhalfirish.blogspot.com/

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  2. I'm Pro Kid Leases!
    Being a mom of two who usually takes my 1 and 2 year old out without any other supervision, other than myself, I am bombarded with a reminder every time that I need to go find and buy those kid leases before I take the kids out again. Attempting to shop, with one baby on my hip and a hyperactive boy running around, I question why I even try to go out. So then, should I look to blame myself for the hardships that come with toddler shopping?
    Are my kids out of control? Am I mother who has no control over my children? Have I lacked giving them discipline? I don’t think so, but with children so young, everyday is a learning experience for them and every trip to a mall or grocery store reinforces how they should act, but they are still learning. So yes, meltdowns and runaway toddlers can still happen, especially when they have each other! The only other option that would work for me is a carriage, and at a mall or a store, a double stroller isn't appreciated much by my fellow shoppers. Moreover, I could make the comparison that a kid in a carriage is like a caged bird, watching the whole world pass by, strapped to a seat.
    However, with all of that said I agree, many parents may just be lazy. Most people don’t need child leases and the stigma behind them is what has prevented me from buying them. But if used properly, what really is so cruel? If I asked my son, I’m sure he’d prefer the leash over the carriage.

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