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Originally Posted by ngdawg
And just how responsible do you think a two year old is? And you said 'daughter', as in ONE child. Some of us have more than one.
The insinuation that I didn't teach my kids responsiblity by using the wrist leashes is again, offensive. Quite the opposite is true.
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I wasn't saying ANYTHING about your parenting. I even stated:
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I guess I could imagine some limited uses in very limited circumstances without an extend-a-leash.
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I didn't insinuate that you didn't teach responsibility. That's why I said:
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I don't know how you used leashes and it's not my business.
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I DON"T KNOW how you used leashes. I don't know how you parent. It's none of my business. I think that the way that leashes often seemed to be used in public is not conducive to teaching responsibility.
I could have just as easily accused you of insinuating that people who don't use leashes are irresponsible parents because they are risking their child being snatched and killed or running under the wheels of a car. I don't think that you
meant that, but it could be inferred.
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They were extremely well behaved because Mommy had them there at all times-there was no need for calling them over, yelling at them 100 times to stay put or 'don't run'. There is nothing more annoying than being in a mall, a store or even a fair and almost being knocked over by a small kid who just HAD to see the pretty colored item on the shelf. Or see some kid walking up and down aisles calling 'mommy' in one part of a store while the mother is calling the kid's name in another part. Where's the responsibility in that? My attention wasn't divided so that I lost sight of my kids because they were right there.
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Again, I wasn't speaking about your parenting abilities. I agree that children wandering around stores without parental supervision is bad. My point was that I often see children wandering around without parental supervision on leashes. (And off leashes, of course).
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Your 'experience' with such devices isn't limited. It's nil. You haven't looked into using any because of your opinion of them at the outset.
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You don't know whether or not I looked into using them. Obviously, I have considered them. I outlined my rationale for not using them with my daughter in my last post. I said "limited" because I haven't used one with my daughter. That doesn't translate to "nil." There are many things that you don't have to try to know that you don't want to use them.
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Kids can't 'run wild' if a 6ft piece of elastic attaches them to a parent. But they can and DO run wild when they aren't and the parent becomes otherwise occupied.
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As I said in my last post, I was referring to extend-a-leashes attached to children. That said, kid's can "run wild" regardless of the length of leash (and regardless of whether they are on a leash at all). Again, to be clear, I am not speaking about your parenting or how you used a leash. I am speaking about the potential (and the seemingly actual in many cases that I have seen) misuse of the child leash.
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I found that comment piece you posted-one negative remark in a sea of positives that you felt was necessary to back your opinion up. I'd use up too much bandwidth to post the rest that supported that woman's choice.
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I'm not surprised that you found the comment piece. I could have posted the quotes I chose without a link. I chose to include the link so that you could find it. I'm not trying to attack you with a one-sided argument. I'm not trying to "win". I'm just trying to discuss.
Yes, there was a lot of support for the woman who wrote about using a leash on their child. I read the whole thread and several other postings as well. After reading all of the comments, I still don't agree with it. Many of the comments reinforced my opinion. There was a lot of outrage about people commenting on rude people in stores commenting on their leashes. I agree with all of the comments that commenting on someone else's leash in a store is rude.
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Originally Posted by sapiens
The whole idea reminds me of the child leashes I see some kids wearing at the zoo, the mall, etc. I loath those things. Don't put your child on a leash, s/he is not a pet. If your child can't listen to directions and stay near you, maybe you should hold your child's hand.
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Revisiting my initial post, I should have specificed more of my rationale for disliking leashes. I can see how it could be inflammatory to someone who uses leashes. However, the first thing that comes to mind when I see someone with their child on a leash is still a dog on a leash.
To conclude, I don't like leashes. I especially don't like them when they are used when unnecessary and result in a parent paying less attention to their child.
However, as I said in my last post, I can see their utility in very limited circumstances.
OK, maybe I'm not concluding yet:
An aside: I've restrained many, many, many children in my life- kids ranging from 4 to 17 years old (in a locked mental health setting). I've restrained kids with my body, with safety coats (straight jackets for kids), in seclusion rooms, and I've called in nurses to administer chemical restraints. Any time I restrained a kid, it was necessary. I still don't like restraints of any kind. They make me uncomfortable and I think that they are over used. I'm not saying this to support an argument. (It might detract from one). I'm saying it to give context to my statements. My rationale for not using restraints is still the rationale I outlined earlier - because I think that they can be misused. (And probably because I don't find that I need to use them with my daughter). Again, I'm not saying anything about your use of a leash or your parenting.