Today I was at the aquarium with my guy having a nice "us" day. We do this about once a month. We get a sitter and just spend the day together like adult people. Anyway, there were a lot of families at the aquarium and since i like to people watch, it was like crack to an addict. This one family "got" to me. It was an elderly woman, maybe grandma? a middle aged man, possibly dad? and two little boys, one around 3 and one around 8. What struck me (besides the matching family feax football jerseys for the family team, how tacky) was the fact that both boys were on leashes.
I've never liked leashes for kids, as they're kids, not dogs. However, some people swear by them. I could MAYBE and I mean MAYBE see the 3ish kid on a leash, but not a kid that's around 8. If your 8 year old doesn't know not to run off in public, then you're doing something wrong as a parent. My kid is 2, and i know that if I don't watch her like a hawk, she takes off. So what do I do? I watch her like a hawk and then teach her to stay with me. Why do I do this? becaus tha'ts my job. If she does get away, she's punished (we call them "corrections") and she learns not to do it again. When she's being bad, all I have to say is "Do you need a correction?" and she usually snaps back into good behavior. In public, most people are impressed by this. I'm not impressed because she's smarter than a dog, and dogs follow simple commands.
So, not that i've shared my very biased opinion, what's your opinion on kid leashes?
8 comments:
There are no mentions of leashes in the bible. Therefore ...
not a fan of leashes. i always felt it was my responsibility to pay attention to my kids so they stayed safe. tethering them to me was not one of them. holding a hand, staying in the stroller when we were out. those all worked for me. and the mom "evil eye" worked like a charm. i still use it. ;)
I never used them on my kids, but as I have gotten older, I am less concerned about how folks keep their kids under control- I am just happy that they do. I would rather have a child on a leash than suffer the anguish of a missing kid, even for ten minutes.
good point sheila. what works for one parent doesn't work for another.
I think people who use leashes on their kids are probably wound a little too tight.
On another subject I think that women who openly breast feed their kid in public and make a big productive of it are fucking strange. I just don't want to see your big flaccid tit and bumpy nipple when I'm trying to enjoy my grilled salmon.
along that line emma, i hate it when people wear pants that show their are asses off in public. i don't want to see bare ass while i'm eating.
jilly
I'm guessing you don't watch the dairy cattle shows at the state fair, emma,,, where mammary suspension is half the points and they just gotta look "dairy".
I used to be against them, thought they were demeaning, until the first time I took my two nieces and one nephew out in public alone.
Everyone would have been happier -- the kids and me -- if they'd been on leashes.
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