Anyone else ever laugh when they see a kid on a leash? Man, and people wonder where sociopaths come from!

I love leashes! I don't care what people say, it's very difficult to keep your eye on your child every single second -- especially when they are at an age where they can be easily distracted and toddle off on their own.

Let's put it this way -- nobody will be laughing if I lose a child because I take my eye off of him/her for a second (maybe I drop my wallet and spill change or something).

Oh, I don't laugh, I get mad. :mad:

Children should be looked after, not tethered.

Have you ever seen a kid straining against their leash like a wild animal, while Mom isn't even paying attention? Or have you seen a Dad that tugs on the leash to get the kid to go the right direction, instead of talking to their child? I have.

As you can tell I feel rather strongly on the subject.

Originally posted by Cadaverous Pallor
Oh, I don't laugh, I get mad. :mad:

Children should be looked after, not tethered.

Have you ever seen a kid straining against their leash like a wild animal, while Mom isn't even paying attention? Or have you seen a Dad that tugs on the leash to get the kid to go the right direction, instead of talking to their child? I have.

I look after my child and give him a taste of of freedom by "tethering" him as you call it. Have you ever seen my kid straining against his leash like a wild animal while I wasn't paying attention? Or have you ever seen DocKrock to get the Matthew to go the right direction instead of talkng to him? Neither have I.

Spencer never needed a leash. Matthew was a totally different toddler and did.

As for the sociopath comment- where's zapppop's tatoo?

Adrienne

You know, this thread looks familiar. (http://mousepad.mouseplanet.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=5455)

I would swear that this has all been discussed before. (http://mousepad.mouseplanet.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=13761)

Are you sure we haven't already debated this issue, at least once or twice? (http://mousepad.mouseplanet.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=16915)

Anyone have anything new to say this time around?

:rolleyes:

AVP

I was going to reply, but I think I already said it... :|

Originally posted by johnnyrad
Anyone else ever laugh when they see a kid on a leash? Man, and people wonder where sociopaths come from!

I tend not to laugh at people trying to do the best job at parenting that they can - even if I disagree.....except if what they are doing is extremly harmful. I don't think leashes fit that category. But if they did, I wouldn't be laughing.

I used to think it was weird seeing kids on leashes because the people I was seeing use them were the inattentive types who thought the mere existence of the leash would solve the problem. But I've seen other parents who use the leash as an addition to their own attention, not as a substitute, and I think it works well.

Originally posted by AVP
Anyone have anything new to say this time around?Nope. But I never miss an opportunity to talk about this subject. I'm sure anyone can read what I've said in other threads, but I would rather repeat it to make sure I'm heard.

I will bow in deference to those parents that actually do watch their kids as well as use leashes. But my view is that having the leash can become a dependency, and some parents realize (not consciously, of course), "I don't HAVE to pay attention, because this kid isn't going anywhere." And they're 100% right. Their kid won't be snatched from them, they won't get lost. But once you treat your child like an animal, that is just how they will act. I have seen it countless times. Even if it's just a matter of the child walking away and the parent giving a gentle tug on the leash to get the child to come back instead of taking her hand or talking to them - in my mind, it's demeaning.

IMHO, if you ARE paying attention to your kid and not using the leash as a leash, then why have it in the first place?

Originally posted by Cadaverous Pallor
IMHO, if you ARE paying attention to your kid and not using the leash as a leash, then why have it in the first place?

I am not a parent, nor do I play one on TV or any other medium.

However, I do know that kids can take off in half a blink of an eye, and no matter how much attention you're paying to a child, or even if you're holding their hand, they can wrestle away from you and bolt away very quickly. The leash limits how far they can go in such a situation. I would also think that the leash is a constant reminder to the child of the limits he/she can go, but I don't know that for a fact.

i recently read that the most common crime at WDW is child molestation. you are in more danger of having your child abducted by someone with the worst of intentions than you are of having your wallet stolen. the best parent looks away for a second, and that is all it takes.

i don't know if i will ever use a harness, my son isn't yet to that age. i figure a harness is like a pacifier. there are those that pop it in their babies mouth as an easy way out and there are those that realize that babies are hard-wired to need some non-nutritive sucking and use it as a pleasant diversion for their baby. it isn't the harness, it's how you use it.

i think that anyone who thinks they know so much about parenting should have kids of their own. it can be a real eye opener. it was for me. (a parent can use a pacifier and be loving and attentive? gasp! who would have guessed? LOL)

if you are going to criticize parenting at disneyland, there are better things to talk about than harnesses. i constantly see parents cussing and yelling at their kids. i don't think wanting to keep your child close to you is so bad.

~<:) traci

Originally posted by tracilicious
it isn't the harness, it's how you use it.

Exactly, Amen, I agree, My point.

I dare anyone to look me in the eye and criticize my parenting. Or look my children in the eye and criticize my parenting.

i think that anyone who thinks they know so much about parenting should have kids of their own. it can be a real eye opener. it was for me. (a parent can use a pacifier and be loving and attentive? gasp! who would have guessed? LOL)

Or that a breastfed baby can use a pacifier and not immediate self-wean or refuse to nurse or forget how to nurse! Both of my boys had strong sucking needs. STRONG. One of our family pediatricians said, "It's ok, some babies just NEED to suck." And one of my hospital's lactation consultants actually taught us: Pacifiers are fine, let's talk about which pacifiers are better if you can get your child to take them....

Don't get me started, though, on the passive aggressive stuff I got about not taking the pacifiers away soon enough. :rolleyes: Do you see my child going to kindergarten with his pacifier? No. I guess waiting until he was 2 1/2 wasn't THAT horrible was it??? Grrrrrr.

Adrienne

Originally posted by tracilicious
i recently read that the most common crime at WDW is child molestation. you are in more danger of having your child abducted by someone with the worst of intentions than you are of having your wallet stolen. the best parent looks away for a second, and that is all it takes.

I would really like to see some actual statistics on that one as I find it >extremely< difficult to believe. It sounds to me a lot like the type of dubious rumors that tends to get spread by some of the right-wing "Disney is evil" protestors.

I'd be very, very, surprised if the number of child molestation incidents at WDW is more than a fraction of a percentage of the number of incidents of petty crimes like shoplifting, pickpocketing, vandalism, etc.

-Jeff

Originally posted by adriennek
Don't get me started, though, on the passive aggressive stuff I got about not taking the pacifiers away soon enough. :rolleyes: Do you see my child going to kindergarten with his pacifier? No. I guess waiting until he was 2 1/2 wasn't THAT horrible was it??? Grrrrrr.

Hey, I think you took the pacifier away from him/them too soon. I mean, heck, I see teenagers with pacifiers...

Originally posted by JeffG
I would really like to see some actual statistics on that one as I find it >extremely< difficult to believe. It sounds to me a lot like the type of dubious rumors that tends to get spread by some of the right-wing "Disney is evil" protestors.

I'd be very, very, surprised if the number of child molestation incidents at WDW is more than a fraction of a percentage of the number of incidents of petty crimes like shoplifting, pickpocketing, vandalism, etc.

-Jeff

i would too. i read that in a book called, "The Mouse Betrayed." i wonder if there is a way to verify that? it is a problem in the parks though. that i'm sure about.

Originally posted by adriennek
Exactly, Amen, I agree, My point.

I dare anyone to look me in the eye and criticize my parenting. Or look my children in the eye and criticize my parenting.


Amen Sistah!

I confess that I have not had a child yet. But I am the oldest of 4 - I changed diapers, babysat, etc. My opinions may change, I guess.

My parents only used pacifiers on us for a short while and stopped it very early on. Maybe this is because we didn't have a "sucking need", I don't know. But they weren't the kind to rely on child-safety locks on cabinets or constrictive playpens. I intend to be the same way. And again, I know that everyone does it the way that works for them.

Originally posted by cstephens
Hey, I think you took the pacifier away from him/them too soon. I mean, heck, I see teenagers with pacifiers...
I don't know if you know this, so I'll just educate those that don't. Teens suck pacifiers because it is a carry-over from rave culture. The drug Ecstasy makes you clench your teeth. A pacifier stops you from biting you tongue and the inside of your mouth. Some actually develop a liking for chewing on a pacifier and it carrys into their everyday life. Others are simply poseurs.

Check out what Snopes.com, the site which reveals the truth about urban legends, had to say about Disney kidnapping. Notice at the bottom that the sources includes "Mouse Tales" by David Koenig.

http://www.snopes.com/horrors/parental/kidnap.htm#add
In truth, no child has ever been kidnapped from a Disney theme park...

Here (http://www.snopes.com/horrors/parental/kidnap.htm) is the link to Snopes (http://www.snopes.com) that debunks this URBAN LEGEND




I really wish people would check an urban legend site before spreading urban legends around as gospel. :rolleyes: :sigh:

Originally posted by HB Tigger Fan
I really wish people would check an urban legend site before spreading urban legends around as gospel. :rolleyes: :sigh: I really wish people would read my post before they post the same thing. :p

Originally posted by tracilicious
i would too. i read that in a book called, "The Mouse Betrayed."

If that's where you got the information, I'd say it's quite suspect. I read that book - I might even have bought it. It's basically a hatchet job about Disney, and if I recall, a lot of what's in there is very suspect.

Originally posted by Cadaverous Pallor
I don't know if you know this, so I'll just educate those that don't. Teens suck pacifiers because it is a carry-over from rave culture. The drug Ecstasy makes you clench your teeth. A pacifier stops you from biting you tongue and the inside of your mouth. Some actually develop a liking for chewing on a pacifier and it carrys into their everyday life. Others are simply poseurs.

Yes, I know why they use them. Doesn't change my opinion one bit. Actually reaffirms my opinion. And to avoid being railed at again and derailing this topic, I'll stop there.

Originally posted by Cadaverous Pallor

I don't know if you know this, so I'll just educate those that don't. Teens suck pacifiers because it is a carry-over from rave culture. The drug Ecstasy makes you clench your teeth. A pacifier stops you from biting you tongue and the inside of your mouth. Some actually develop a liking for chewing on a pacifier and it carrys into their everyday life. Others are simply poseurs.


I didn't know this. Thank you for educating me! :D I knew that it had to do with ravers, but didn't know that it was related to using ecstasy. Very interesting...

Back to the topic. I do not use a leash. Gabriel is either in his stroller or holding my hand.

Speaking of leashes I saw a funny scene involving a parent on a leash the other night. After a nice dinner in downtown Walnut Creek my wife and I were driving through the shopping areas on our way to Oakland. At a stop light I watched as a little boy wearing a harness lead his dad around like a dog on a leash. Yep, everywhere the boy went the dad healed right along like a little obedient puppy. :D

It was by a busy street, so the dad was trying to give his son some freedom without risking him running into traffic so he was using a harness. But the boy was very undecided as to which way he wanted to run and what he wanted to go play with as he'd dart back and forth in the courtyard from one thing to another with dad in tow.

I am new to the boards, but this topic caught my eye. And something that appears to be overlooked in the discussion of "leashes" and small children is that it's not always about the parents & the child. But sometimes more about the people around you. I have found it disturbing how often in a crowd (such as Disneyland) that other people don't give it a second thought to cut between you and your children. They are so worried about trying to get where they are going that they squeeze through with no consideration to how easy it is for a small child to get swept up in the wave of people and seperated from the rest of the group. And just a second thought on leashes...I know that my child and I would much rather be tetherd together with a small cord than to have to hold hands all day long in the sometimes already unbearable heat. Personally, I think it is far more important to me, and ultimatly my child, that WE have a good time and go home at the end of the day together than whether or not someone laughs!

As with most things, the use of a tether must be decided by the parent who knows their child best. My daughter was always content to sit in her stroller or hold my hand. I never needed any type of tether for her. My son, on the other hand, went through a phase in which he was extremely active and actively resisted having his hand held for long periods of time. During that time, I did use a couple of tether type devices (one was just a wrist to wrist one) to keep him from actively running off in crowds. Now I guess I could have run after him and spanked him, but then you would all be posting nasty posts about that too. So, in general, I believe that most parents know what their kids need whether it be a pacifier, a tether, a nap etc. If it is not harmful, I see no reason for it to be the business of others.

Originally posted by Elly
So, in general, I believe that most parents know what their kids need whether it be a pacifier, a tether, a nap etc. If it is not harmful, I see no reason for it to be the business of others.

oooh, I like this.

me too!

Adrienne