A friend and I were in a store the other day when we stumbled upon one of those child leashes shaped like a teddy bear. A conversation began, filled with insight and many jokes, about the type of parent who would use one of these.
We have all seen children out in public running around and misbehaving while parents ignore or encourage the behavior. Some of us have fought the urge to intervene, while others made their opinion known. Despite whatever undesireable behavior we may see in a child, can anyone in their right mind agree with putting a child on a leash?
A child on a leash demonstrates lacking skills on behalf of the parent NOT the poor behavior of a child. It is inhumane, degrading, and down-right lazy to put your child on a leash. Leashes were created to control domesticated animals...pets who at times lack decision-making capabilities to remain near their owners. It is to protect the pet and those who come in contact with it.
So who's bright idea was it to apply this technique to
toddlers?
I have a better idea, take the $25 you were going to spend on the leash and enroll in a parenting class!
Any thoughts?
I'd rather see a child on a leash than on the news after being kidnapped or worse.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree that it is disheartening to see children who are kidnapped and/or hurt. But there are many ways to decrease your child's risk that are better than a leash. I know plenty of parents who succeed in this through more communication and teaching their children.
ReplyDeleteAnd I am not sure that a leash will guarantee that your child will not end up in jail or kidnapped. If that were the case, the guy that invented the kid leash would have received a Nobel Prize. Kids will be kids; it is the parents duty to address inappropriate behavior, but at the end of the day, they are individuals. Parents can coach them and try to ensure that they stay on the right path, but I am not sure that a leash is a good coaching technique. Parental coaching requires a lot of time to get children to display the desired behavior. So, the expection should not be that after talking to your kids one time, they will transform into angels; it will take conversations (coaching sessions), sometimes saying the exact same thing over and over again. And out of pure curiousity, exactly what about a dog leash will ensure that kids will not end up on the news or in jail?
ReplyDeleteGreat conversation, you guys. It would be interesting research to study the outcomes (psychological, behavioral) of children who had the leash and those who didn't.
ReplyDelete