It’s a pretty well-established rule of parenting etiquette that while you can share what works best for you, it’s not as accepted to say that others should follow your lead. After all, each situation is different, right?
Wrong, according to blogger Eden Strong’s article: “Why I Walk My Kids On A Leash – And So Should Every Other Sane Parent.”
In her post, she gives five well-defined reasons she walks her kids on a leash:
#1 – They have the attention span of a goldfish.
#2 – They’re what one would call “wanderers.”
#3 – While she’s tried to teach them differently, they persist in wandering.
#4 – They disappear in the blink of an eye.
#5 – Constantly holding their hands is unrealistic.
All of the above are true for most preschoolers, and quite a few parents have turned to the use of a “leash” – or a specialized harness device – to safeguard their children. But the practice is controversial:
Really want to know when it became socially acceptable to have your child on a leash… They ain't pets people.
— T (@KingofMayhemm) June 9, 2015
https://twitter.com/Kelsi_Smith7/status/608293131084177408
FACT : If you walk your child around on on a leash, I will bend down and bark at it.
— Julia Lewis (@maternalknock) June 9, 2015
But as child psychologist Tina Bryson explains:
“Everybody’s child is different. And if a parent hasn’t had an experience of having a really impulsive child, they may not really understand what it’s like.”
Blogger Strong boils down her reasoning to one sentence:
“While I let go of one child to attend to my other child’s needs, I know they’re both safe.”
While some hear the word “leash” and think of torture at Abu Ghraib prison, Strong thinks of a non-harmful device that can keep her children safe.
