I. Hate. Child Leashes.To me, there is no symbol, no outright disregard for all that is intelligent and a sure sign that the person shouldn't be a parent than having this kid on a LEASH!
Today, I went to a corner store in Center City to get something real quick. While on my way, I saw a kid. I thought he was adorable, and I then noticed something else while on my way into the store: A leash. A. LEASH. Attached to the other end of this leash was a father. The man had to be about 300lbs, 5' 6", and looked like some cross between a gansta and a punk, emphasis on the former rather than the later. While I've gone on and on about how I hate it when people stare at me, people judge me, etc... well, there are exceptions to the rule. Like doing something that doesn't just harm yourself, but an innocent child.
To quote the Simpsons, "This leash demeans us both."
To me, the leash shows you don't care about the kid and their emotional well-being. It means you're treating them as nothing more than a status symbol, an accessory... that you can not, and will not, be bothered with doing what you need in order to keep them in line, to help them grow up into responsible members of society. It means that, instead, you treat them as a pet; to be trained, to be obeyed by you.
You SUCK! You sicken me!
To me, the ONLY time, THE ONLY TIME, you put a kid on a leash is if you don't have a choice. If the child has some sort of emotional problem, A REAL ONE, where they could otherwise really, really, REALLY do something harmful to themselves without knowing it... yes, I can understand it. If your child is a god-damn hellspawn, by all means, do it. This kid wasn't. He was a sweet, little, adorible thing. Not misbehaving, not suffering from anything... just standing there.
Do me a favor: The next time you want to put your kid in one of these "harneshes", think for a moment that your not doing it keep your child in line. Instead, you're humiliating both yourself AND your child.
Photo thanks to Mick Laders.
6 comments:
http://www.overheardinphilly.com/2009/06/give-mohawk-guy-beer.html
http://www.unknownhighway.com/index.php/main/comments/leashed_children_photos/
Are you a parent of a toddler??? Trust me when you have a child that is learning to run and walk they do not want you to hold their hands or carry them. I am 5'10" and it is very difficult to bend down to hold my son's hand. When you and your toddler are in a busy place the harness is a great tool so no one snatches your child and they dont get lost. Also is avoids a scene when the child wants to walk on his own and not be held.
^^^
No, I don't have a kid, but I was one to a mother with a severe heart condition who had a hard time walking. There was an easy solution to the problem for both of us: If need be, not going to certain large places where the kid would get lost, or just holding me.
Yeah, no 2 kids are the same, but a leash can't be any better in the end than hitting a kid with your hand. In my eyes, its the same thing, and both are really messed up.
Having a leash on a non-emotionally distressed child may be CONVENIENT, but its not treating them with any actual respect. The kid doesn't want to be held? Well, you hold him and tell him the truth: You don't want to lose him to some creepy guy.
I felt the same way you are feeling prior to having a child. I'm struggling not to purchase one. But I can honestly say that you just don't understand unless you live it.
All I can say is that if you don't have a child you wouldn't understand ....I have two, my oldest is calm mannered and listens very well and always has....i could have taken her to the most busiest place and she would not have left my side...my other is very busy and very curious.....with that being said there is a time and place for these leases....airports, amusement parks, any very large crowded place, ect.....it helps when you have a child that wonders off in seconds or climbs out of strollers...this is even with many sets of eyes on him...I always thought they were crazy too....but to keep my child out of harms way I would totally use it....
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