Kids on leashes

[rah]

Yeah, I only had one so never saw the need and I doubt I would ever want to use one. But when the numbers rise beyond a reasonable amount, I could be convinced to do otherwise.

And while there may be a special case I would tend to think lazy parent if there was only one child involved.

 

[TheMeInTeam]

You have made me re-think my position. Yeah, in some situation it makes sense. If you have 8 kids and are in a busy place, like Bangkok or Tokyo or Disneyland, and they're not old enough yet to fend for their own, sure, leash them up.

But if you've just got 1 or two kids.. Just look after them like a normal person

I agree that grabbing someone's hand is a lot less effort than attaching a leash of any variety. In most cases they're not adding practical utility, but if someone thinks they do I don't see a problem with using them.

Evolution demands that we let those kids go. For the greater good.

Evolution doesn't demand anything, and individuals don't make decisions optimizing for evolutionary fitness per se'. Both the decision to use a leash or not and its effectiveness become part of the equation just like every other behavior.

 

[warpus]

The one potential issue is that kids are far more likely to be bullied if their friends or acquaintances or classmates see them in a leash, or hear about it. It reeks of helicopter parenting and kids usually get bullied for far less.

 

[metalhead]

I was joking. Probably should have indicated that with a smiley

If you're taking 8 kids young enough to require restraint to Disneyland I can't help but thinking you're doing life wrong. But since you've already gotten a failing grade it means go ahead and hogtie them all if it makes things easier

 

[Synobun]

The one potential issue is that kids are far more likely to be bullied if their friends or acquaintances or classmates see them in a leash, or hear about it. It reeks of helicopter parenting and kids usually get bullied for far less.

I think the "bullying in school" age group is a bit beyond that "need to be tethered" age group. Nobody is leashing their 5-6 year old.

... Right?

 

[Timsup2nothin]

I think the "bullying in school" age group is a bit beyond that "need to be tethered" age group. Nobody is leashing their 5-6 year old.

... Right?

Once they develop the dexterity to disconnect themselves it's probably pointless.

 

[Farm Boy]

Also the time you take the child locks off the doorknobs above the long stairs.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

So...how many parents when their toddler started climbing out of the playpen turned it upside down over them?

 

[danjuno]

I don't even remember having a play pen as a kid. I had a knee-height (relative to adults) table for my Thomas Wooden Railway trains and that was that.

 

[warpus]

I think the "bullying in school" age group is a bit beyond that "need to be tethered" age group. Nobody is leashing their 5-6 year old.

... Right?

Wait, so people are tethering 3 and 4 year olds? My sister has a 4 year old and a 2 year old. When they're out of the house, my sister or her husband always have their eyes on them, are holding their hand, carrying them, etc. Unless you're in a super busy place like say Manhattan during rush hour, with 3 kids, or some of the other extreme exceptions mentioned, when does the need to tether a 3 year old come in? I mean I agree that there is a time and place for this sort of thing, but it seems to be incredibly rare.

 

[Mise]

Hold up...I know plenty of dogs that wear a full harness in place of a collar. Are they not leashed? They go places that require them to be on a leash. Are they breaking the rules?

the wording of the law will almost certainly stipulate what it means by a leash in your jurisdiction, perhaps describing a typical leash and then adding "or apparatus providing an equivalent function" or words to that effect, but more likely explicitly including all variants of a leash that have been sanctioned

 

[Perfection]

It keeps their hands free to pickpocket passers by as they tow my chariot

 

[Timsup2nothin]

the wording of the law will almost certainly stipulate what it means by a leash in your jurisdiction, perhaps describing a typical leash and then adding "or apparatus providing an equivalent function" or words to that effect, but more likely explicitly including all variants of a leash that have been sanctioned

Indeed. Point being that said list of variants includes options that do not involve the neck...so your complaint the the child in the OP was "tethered, not leashed" just because the restraint wasn't around their neck is unfounded.

 

[Mise]

The wording of this thread did not make such stipulations if it did I would have responded that a tether around a body is fine and often sensible but a leash around a neck is inhumane and quite abhorrent

 

[Leifmk]

When I was a kid none of this was ever a problem.

One thing to keep in mind: At least in Norway, the accidental death rate for children has been reduced by something like 90% since 1970. Whenever people start going on about how "we didn't have all this safety stuff when I was a kid and we turned out fine" I think yeah, you survived and so did everyone else who is around to chatter about it now but I'm pretty sure there were some among your extended family and neighbours who didn't.

(Mind you, the largest single cause of accidental death for children here used to be vehicle accidents where the child was a passenger. About 100 such deaths each year in the early 1970s. Compare to these days, when child seats are the norm; if I recall correctly we had two such fatalities in 2016 and I believe there were actually zero in 2015...)

 

[metalhead]

So...how many parents when their toddler started climbing out of the playpen turned it upside down over them?

My mom laments the fact that parents rarely use playpens any more. I frankly don't see much use for them unless you're alone with a toddler and need to shower or go to the bathroom or something.

 

[warpus]

One thing to keep in mind: At least in Norway, the accidental death rate for children has been reduced by something like 90% since 1970. Whenever people start going on about how "we didn't have all this safety stuff when I was a kid and we turned out fine" I think yeah, you survived and so did everyone else who is around to chatter about it now but I'm pretty sure there were some among your extended family and neighbours who didn't.

(Mind you, the largest single cause of accidental death for children here used to be vehicle accidents where the child was a passenger. About 100 such deaths each year in the early 1970s. Compare to these days, when child seats are the norm; if I recall correctly we had two such fatalities in 2016 and I believe there were actually zero in 2015...)

A lot of safety mechanisms like child seats I'm fine with. I just think leashes are excessive and should only ever be used in extreme situations.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

My mom laments the fact that parents rarely use playpens any more. I frankly don't see much use for them unless you're alone with a toddler and need to shower or go to the bathroom or something.

Or clean your house. Or read a book. Or live. The idea that "good parenting" means giving the child your undivided attention is a relatively new concept.

The biggest benefit is that they make a great place for the toddler to take a nap without you having to stare at them the whole time lest they wake up and get into trouble.

 

[Broken_Erika]

Until they learn how to climb.

 

[metalhead]

Or clean your house. Or read a book. Or live. The idea that "good parenting" means giving the child your undivided attention is a relatively new concept.

Just because the kid isn't penned up doesn't mean they need undivided attention. Let the kid explore and hurt herself, it's all part of learning boundaries. I have gates to keep her away from stuff she can really hurt herself on.

Plus, the climbing. If the toddler is docile enough to play contently in a playpen, you don't need a playpen. If the toddler isn't - your afternoon is probably going to consist of a spirited round of "inventive ways to keep my kid in the playpen." Complete with lots of screaming if you manage to win.