Why I Kept My Kids on Leashes

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Kids on Leashes?

Kids on Leashes, what? I know that many parent’s find the very thought of a leash on a child to be appalling. I understand this way of thinking. I believe my exact words were, “I’d never put a leash on my daughter! She’s not a dog!!!”

Yes, I was every bit as indignant as you might imagine. And I NEVER would have until the day that I was 9 months pregnant and my 2 year old decided that it would be HILARIOUS to take off running down the road, as I tried to maneuver my girth to put her in the car seat. She took off like a bolt of lightening and headed directly for traffic. My life flashed before my eyes and I’m sure that a 200 pound pregnant woman has never ran so fast before or since that day. It was pure adrenaline that caught me up to my giggling toddler and it was her adorable smile and hug that saved her from my wrath. It’s hard to not overreact when you are scared out of your mind. I think I cried and then I sat on the grass trying to catch my breath, praying that my unborn baby was not negatively affected by the mad dash that I had made down the road.

Then I got in my car, drove to Target and bought a leash.

Here are a few reasons that I kept my kids on leashes:

Pregnant ladies can only run so fast.
I love my kids too much to watch them become road kill.
I was pregnant for far too long to take the chance that they get out of my eyesight for a second and get abducted. When they are on a leash, I always know where they are.
Little kids can run ridiculously fast and are about as slippery as a greased pig.
Really, is keeping a kid confined to stroller or a playpen any more humane?
My daughter’s loved their leashes. They thought the little monkey on their back was like giving their stuffy a piggyback ride.
Who is it harming? It’s not like I’m taking my kids for walks in the dog park and kenneling them when we get home.
Why is it ok for people to treat their dogs like children but it’s a mortal sin for me to leash my child for safety reasons? It’s not like I’m pretending they are my pet. The people with their dog in a pram however think that Fido is from the fruit of their loins. Really, which is sicker?

It’s not like I give them treats or have them do tricks. I simply want to keep them close and out of harms way. I also don’t leave them in leashes past the age of 3. Once they are old enough to understand that they need to stay close, the leashes are gone. A leash does not need to be about humiliation or treating your child like an animal. Thank of it as an extension of mommy’s hand, it keeps them safe and close to you.

Did you put your kids on leashes?

What do you think about kids on leashes?

motherhood

Comments

14 responses to “Why I Kept My Kids on Leashes”

2012/04/02
Tracie
I never used a leash for my daughter, but with only one child, there never was much need for it. I’ve seen parents with multiple children (especially in airports, or crowded places) who have done this with their children, and it makes sense to me.
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1. 2012/04/04
  Truthful Mommy
  I probably never would have leashed mine,had my eldest not ran out towards traffic. That made me a convert…fast:)Lol
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2012/04/02
Jenni Chiu
It IS an extension of my hands… at least for me it was. I even wrote about how leashes are for genius kids once.
However, I also give them treats and make them do tricks…
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1. 2012/04/04
  Truthful Mommy
  Bwahahaha!You are so silly. I tried but they only ran off with the treats and never did the tricks:)J/K
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2012/04/02
Jessica
I never did, we just didn’t go anywhere, there were too many of them :).
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1. 2012/04/04
  Truthful Mommy
  LOL! My mom had 6 and she never leashed but she also never took us all out in public together. I’m not sure she would have been able to tether us all together:) I know in theory the leash sounds awful but it gave me peace of mind and gave her a little bit of freedom.
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2012/04/03
cmichaelsny
I think anything you have to do to keep your child safe is perfectly fine. Would anyone like to see the airport locked down while they search for a missing 3 year old? Of course not ,and with the Holiday travelers going to be in full force, I would not want to be the parent of the child who took off and caused the delay.
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1. 2012/04/04
  Truthful Mommy
  Right?
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2012/04/03
susan
my son, on a trip to the $2 shop, chose a pair of toy handcuffs. he thought it would be hilarious for us to be joined together. ironically it was brilliant to keep him close…and got a lot of amused stares from passers by…
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1. 2012/04/04
  Truthful Mommy
  Awww, that is cute. See you got amused stares. Unfortunately, when you have a leashed kid you are susceptible to disapproving, judgmental stares. Its Ok, I figured they weren’t the ones who had a kid run out into traffic. They didn’t know any better.
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2012/04/04
Starle
I would for sure leash my kid if I had another one. I’m wracking my brain trying to figure out what I *did* do when they were both little. I have no idea. Huh.
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2012/04/11
Carretto’s Photography
It’s definitely a controversial topic – I’ve seen some pretty heated arguments over the subject, but in the end it’s a personal choice.
I’ve known people who said they’d never do it…until the moment they did.
And I’ve seen people try it and change their minds.
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2012/04/25
Paul Jean
I would leash my child for his own safety.
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2012/05/19
Honey
I used a leash. And that was before the cute backpacks. Ours were simple collars. Dh prefered the manly spike n leather for our son’s collars but I thought the halter allowed me to swing ’em from the parking lot to carseat with minimal struggle.
Haha! Nah, we did use “leashes”. Och the looks! My 1st was WALKING (not cruising) at 5 months and RUNNING not too soon later. He also at 3 months reached toward a stranger WHO TOOK HIM OUT OF MY ARMS!!! I flipped when I realized it wasn’t dh who was taking him. Thats too friendly, in an INCREDIBLY active body that is very quick. He didnt like holding hands. He fought me!!! He didnt want to be in his sling. He fought me!!! He didnt want to be carried. He fought me!!! (See the repetition?) But, a little blue leash made him happy and free. He could walk around all while I wasn’t chasing him. He was also 9 months old when I became pregnant with his sister. The leash saved us; my need to protect my young from pediphiles and abductors and his need for freedom were kept intact.
Whenever folks complain or make the dog comment here are some things I have said….
“I know, but children are capable of doing even more tricks.” …or….
“I know, but Im allergic to dogs.” …or the one I REALLY always wanted to say….
“Back off nutty. You can complain about my parenting when you stop breastfeeding your Chi-weenie.”
Seriously, folks that believe their dogs are children really creep me out. I understand babying dogs and the need to nurture something. But when I’m talking about my child’s food allergies and you say I know!! And start talking about Fifi’s eczema….I really just want to rip your throat out. I believe you should do a special throat punch….and if you’ve done it I missed it!
You crack me up and I love reading you when I become aggravated with the ridiculous crap going on.
~Honey
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