Quote:
Originally posted by Darkblack
I find these "easy" fixes to be the problem we are having with parenting today. Playstation or Xbox so you can get some house work done, TV in their room so you can watch what you want to watch, internet so that you can have some peace and quiet, child leash so you can shop in peace and not have to worry about where your kids are going, pagers and cell phones so that you can get in touch with your child instead of teaching your child to check in and always knowing where they are at, and there are more things like this that are taking away from our children what we should be teaching them.
Just my opinion.
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I think this is a bit of a straw man argument. There's a big difference between the issue at hand - use of a leash - and a trend of permissive parenting. I don't think the use of a leash necessarily leads to or is part of permissive/neglectful parenting. A lot of people do, in fact, keep an eye on their kids' behavior while they're on a tether, but want the tether as a "security blanket" of sorts to make sure that nothing does happen to their kid if they take their eyes off them for a minute. You hear all of these abduction stories in which the parent says "I only turned around for a second and they were gone."
Additionally, none of the things you mention are really bad in and of themselves (although I'm not fond of people using TV/video games as a babysitter) and a lot depends on the intent. If you're giving a kid something to do so they'll get out of your hair and you don't have to pay attention to them, that's one thing. It's quite another thing to use a tool that makes your life easier without neglecting your child's welfare. The internet can be a good educational tool when used appropriately and with supervision. Leashes can give parents peace of mind so they don't need to get an ulcer worrying that their kid is going to be abducted if they don't have a hand on them at all times, which is virtually impossible. Cell phones and pagers can make it easier for kids to get in touch with their parents and let them know where they'll be. Again, it's the intent and the usage of the tools and not the tools themselves that draw the line between responsible and irresponsible parenting.