When did parents start using leashes on their kids?

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I was at Borders right next to Chapel Market in London, sitting on a stack of books reading NME as I saw a mother walking her kid with a god damn LEASH. I'm not shitting you. A leash, just like a dog. It's one of the weirdest things I've ever seen. I tried my best not to start laughing out loud but I didnt do a very good job.

― Lovelace (Lovelace), Thursday, 1 December 2005 17:44 (nineteen years ago)

this is at least a decade old.

― dabnis coleman's ghost (dubplatestyle), Thursday, 1 December 2005 17:48 (nineteen years ago)

My parents had them for us when we were little, so at least 30+ years ago.

― luna (luna.c), Thursday, 1 December 2005 17:48 (nineteen years ago)

http://rasc.ru/school/kid-ski_files/ski_leash.jpg

― dabnis coleman's ghost (dubplatestyle), Thursday, 1 December 2005 17:50 (nineteen years ago)

are you guys serious? i have never heard of that before. the idea is just so absurd to me. maybe it's an american/british thing...

and a leash on a ski slope is not exactly the same thing.

― Lovelace (Lovelace), Thursday, 1 December 2005 17:52 (nineteen years ago)

At least it's not as bad as during the Middle Ages, when they used leeches.

― StanM (StanM), Thursday, 1 December 2005 17:53 (nineteen years ago)

my grandmother has recounted using them on my father so that's at least 50+ years.

― Miss Misery xox (MissMiseryTX), Thursday, 1 December 2005 17:53 (nineteen years ago)

We used to call them 'reins'. Even weirder, when you think about it.

― Archel (Archel), Thursday, 1 December 2005 17:54 (nineteen years ago)

http://us.st11.yimg.com/store1.yimg.com/I/dmart2_1869_136940104

― Miss Misery xox (MissMiseryTX), Thursday, 1 December 2005 17:54 (nineteen years ago)

Convenient tote handle!

― 'you' vs. 'radio gnome invisible 3' FITE (ex machina), Thursday, 1 December 2005 17:55 (nineteen years ago)

They're a pretty standard child safety thing:

http://www.angelfire.com/in2/dandee/

http://babies1st.com/by1354.html

http://shop.store.yahoo.com/kidsstuff/g120-loopleash.html

― StanM (StanM), Thursday, 1 December 2005 17:55 (nineteen years ago)

but what is the purpose of these silly things? do they fear that the kid is going to run away from them, or attack strangers like a dog?

"lol"

― Lovelace (Lovelace), Thursday, 1 December 2005 17:56 (nineteen years ago)

my mom definitely used one on my brother.

― maria tessa sciarrino (theoreticalgirl), Thursday, 1 December 2005 17:56 (nineteen years ago)

kids wander off all the time. at least the mom didnt have whistle, i saw that once

― kephm (kephm), Thursday, 1 December 2005 17:58 (nineteen years ago)

oh, come on. there's no need whatsoever for these things. it's degrading. but it was cause for great laughter and i am thankful for that. seriously, i had a real "WTF??!" moment when i saw them.

― Lovelace (Lovelace), Thursday, 1 December 2005 18:01 (nineteen years ago)

very very little is degrading to a toddler.

― luna (luna.c), Thursday, 1 December 2005 18:01 (nineteen years ago)

yeah, i know. but still. there is just something very wrong about it.

besides, you can make that argument about other, less comical things and it wouldnt be pretty.

― Lovelace (Lovelace), Thursday, 1 December 2005 18:03 (nineteen years ago)

Parents of today are paranoid: like every child that leaves their field of vision for half a second is sure to be paedophiled by a terrorist or terrorized by a paedophile or something.

― StanM (StanM), Thursday, 1 December 2005 18:03 (nineteen years ago)

i'm hoping for a giant hamster bubble for my kids

― dabnis coleman's ghost (dubplatestyle), Thursday, 1 December 2005 18:03 (nineteen years ago)

the reason my mother bought a leash was due to a weekend when the family went away skiing. my brother wandered off and we couldnt find him for a day. searched the entire resort, police were called, etc etc. you know where he was? he was in one of those sit down video games.

― maria tessa sciarrino (theoreticalgirl), Thursday, 1 December 2005 18:06 (nineteen years ago)

The escaping child thing is pretty much it. Personally, given how fucking horrible I think small children are the idea of keeping the little buggers on a leash seems quite apropos...

― Stone Monkey (Stone Monkey), Thursday, 1 December 2005 18:07 (nineteen years ago)

oh, come on. there's no need whatsoever for these things.

While I agree with stan about paranoia there are many things that could happen to a child in a busy store or public area: get lost; abduction; maybe taking things off store shelves and putting them in their mouths. . the list is endless.

I imagine a 'tether' would give the parent one less thing to worry about while in busy public places.

― Miss Misery xox (MissMiseryTX), Thursday, 1 December 2005 18:09 (nineteen years ago)

I don't mind the leashes so much. It's the shock collars and the little gimp masks which unnerve me.

― M. White (Miguelito), Thursday, 1 December 2005 18:11 (nineteen years ago)

tethering a kid not only gives the parents one less thing to think about but also gives everyone in close proximity a little peace of mind. my parents owned a restaurant and i distinctly recall years of damage toddlers would inflict -- broken displays, things getting knocked over, etc etc -- and the parents wouldnt be ashamed of it. i sound like an old person when i say this but man, people let their children run around like lunatics. of course they should be tied up!

― maria tessa sciarrino (theoreticalgirl), Thursday, 1 December 2005 18:13 (nineteen years ago)

i think they are apalling and a tool for lazy parenting. however, mine is just taking her first steps so i may have to revise that opinion in a few months.

― Emilymv (Emilymv), Thursday, 1 December 2005 18:15 (nineteen years ago)

"While I agree with stan about paranoia there are many things that could happen to a child in a busy store or public area: get lost; abduction; maybe taking things off store shelves and putting them in their mouths. . the list is endless."

as long as you keep your child by your side, or under your vision that should be it. i'm gonna go out on a limb here and say most parents dont use these things and they get by, right? this just looks STUPID and is just that. kids are not dogs. also, even with this leash, if the parents look the other way the kid can still take things off shelves and put things in their mouth etc.

btw, how do you quote people like that? i

― Lovelace (Lovelace), Thursday, 1 December 2005 18:16 (nineteen years ago)

I am of a mixed mind about these, but if I had a disobedient child with the personality of a hellion, I'm pretty sure I'd get over any misgivings and tether the little darling to my side.

― M. White (Miguelito), Thursday, 1 December 2005 18:24 (nineteen years ago)

btw, how do you quote people like that?

You use brackets like this: <i>quote</i> (see the FAQ link below for more)

― StanM (StanM), Thursday, 1 December 2005 18:30 (nineteen years ago)

remember this: the kid is not the only one who would look like a fool :)

thanks StanM!

― Lovelace (Lovelace), Thursday, 1 December 2005 18:31 (nineteen years ago)

We didn't use a kid leash with our daughter, but I wouldn't criticize a parent who did. I appreciate parents who make an effort not to let their kid run wild and tear shit up.

― I do feel guilty for getting any perverse amusement out of it (Rock Hardy), Thursday, 1 December 2005 18:35 (nineteen years ago)

My mom bought me a leash when Spencer was wee, but unfortunately, the one and only time we tried to use it (I was opposed) was while we were at SeaWorld, and it was slightly um, elasticized. Cue toddler trying to escape his mother, mother pulling back ever so slightly on tether, and toddler being pulled off his feet and smashing face first into the concrete.

I have yet to forgive her for buying it or myself for using it.

(Although in retrospect, it must have looked pretty funny).

― luna (luna.c), Thursday, 1 December 2005 18:36 (nineteen years ago)

even with this leash, if the parents look the other way the kid can still take things off shelves and put things in their mouth etc.

short leash. like I'm having to use with my young dog. Don't know if the choke training collar would also apply.

I do think it looks silly but that's probably only b/c it's something rarely seen. If it were more common, I doubt it would look odd. I wouldn't criticze the parents b/c you don't know what the situation is with their child. There could have been a frightening incident in the past (like with Maria's brother) or the child could have emotional/behavorial disorders that make him very hard to control in public.

whatever. far more distressing to me is when I see a child hit/spanked in public.

― Miss Misery xox (MissMiseryTX), Thursday, 1 December 2005 18:39 (nineteen years ago)

i think they are apalling and a tool for lazy parenting.

OTM

― walter kranz (walterkranz), Thursday, 1 December 2005 18:44 (nineteen years ago)

yes, of course. i would never compare the two, miss misery. i've actually never seen a child getting hit/spanked in public.

― Lovelace (Lovelace), Thursday, 1 December 2005 18:46 (nineteen years ago)

The screaming at or humiliating a child in public bothers me more than seeing the kid get a swat on the ass. (I'm not condoning beatings, slaps in the face, anything of that nature, but a swat on the butt is sometimes merited).

― luna (luna.c), Thursday, 1 December 2005 18:51 (nineteen years ago)

yes that would bother me a lot too. I watched a lot of kids get beat when I was a teacher. It was painful on the one hand to see the child upset and hurt but on the other hand they were extremely disruptive/dangerous kids and any help I got in the area of discpline I was grateful for.

I went into teaching anti-spanking and came out unsure about how I felt. But doing it in public (or in front of their classmates/friends) is unneccesarily humilating.

― Miss Misery xox (MissMiseryTX), Thursday, 1 December 2005 18:57 (nineteen years ago)

I'm not sure a kid can find it degrading, maybe only later on. How can a three year old think:"Fuck, i'm being treated like a dog here!!!" I always found it degrading, but now I'm not so sure. What if your kid's hyperactive or what if you have backache? I doubt I'll ever use it though. I always thought this was more a Dutch/German thing to do: I never saw Belgian parents using this, only Dutch or German people. *shrug* Beating in public is however totally wrong. I was very much against it until I had to babysit my cousin for a weekend. After that experience, I realize sometimes the kid just pushes you over the edge.

― Nathalie (stevie nixed), Thursday, 1 December 2005 19:02 (nineteen years ago)

http://snltranscripts.jt.org/93/pics/93gphillip.jpg

― jaymc (jaymc), Thursday, 1 December 2005 19:14 (nineteen years ago)

Having momentarily lost my son on a crowded beach, I wouldn't scoff at the use of these things.

― Billy Dods (Billy Dods), Thursday, 1 December 2005 19:15 (nineteen years ago)

I get really scared when I lose my boyfriend/friends/companion at a packed show or something. Maybe I should be tethered.

― Miss Misery xox (MissMiseryTX), Thursday, 1 December 2005 19:19 (nineteen years ago)

I bet your boyfriend would love that ;)

― Lovelace (Lovelace), Thursday, 1 December 2005 19:20 (nineteen years ago)

It's not necessarily an evil thing. Parents often hold their child by their hand, right, and instead of having to walk double bent if you're a tall mother/father and the child is short it can be convenient with a leash both for the parent and the kid (allows more space- and they have both of their hands free to touch things). And hey, it's ALWAYS wrong to hit a small child, even "a swat on the ass". Ffs, lift them up and hold them when they are misbehaving if they're too small to talk to.

― Lisa Lipstick, Thursday, 1 December 2005 21:59 (nineteen years ago)

Coming soon: when did parents start using those stupid wheeled carts to push their kids around in?

― Amity Wong (noodle vague), Thursday, 1 December 2005 22:02 (nineteen years ago)

Reins have been around forever. I seem to remember that some of the strappy papoose things we've carried our kids around in disassembled into rein - they also attach to some kinds of high chair. If you've got small children who're wanting to start walking in public but are really not into holding hands, or if holding their hand is uncomfortable for some reason, reins are a harmless solution. I think with toddlers it might give them a degree of confidence too sometimes.

― Amity Wong (noodle vague), Thursday, 1 December 2005 22:13 (nineteen years ago)

OK SO THEY'VE BEEN AROUND FOREVER BUT IM NOT AMERICAN NOR BRITISH!!!!!!!!!!

IT'S NEW TO ME!!!!!

― Lovelace (Lovelace), Thursday, 1 December 2005 22:23 (nineteen years ago)

And hey, it's ALWAYS wrong to hit a small child, even "a swat on the ass".

I completely disagree.

― luna (luna.c), Thursday, 1 December 2005 22:28 (nineteen years ago)

My mom isn't American or British, either.

― luna (luna.c), Thursday, 1 December 2005 22:28 (nineteen years ago)

Well, they dont exist where I'm from and I've never seen them before when I've been in the US or now that I'm living in the UK, or on TV etc. Until now.

― Lovelace (Lovelace), Thursday, 1 December 2005 22:32 (nineteen years ago)

you need to get out more

― jim p. irrelevant (electricsound), Thursday, 1 December 2005 22:33 (nineteen years ago)

(or less, i dunno)

― jim p. irrelevant (electricsound), Thursday, 1 December 2005 22:33 (nineteen years ago)

Skipping 91 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

How uncomforatable and awkward must it be for a parent to walk stooped holding a childs hand

Very. I'm about six foot tall, our little boy is about two foot. So I would need like four foot long arms to make it remotely comfortable. That said, you'd have to be some sort of glutton for punishment to take your toddler round the shopping mall anyhow. Take them to the woods instead and let them run around like nutters, says I.

― NickB (NickB), Monday, 5 December 2005 10:07 (nineteen years ago)

When did parents start using leashes on their kids?

In the 16th century. (images seem to be unavailable or protected, but the article is accessible)

― StanM (StanM), Monday, 5 December 2005 10:28 (nineteen years ago)

i'm not completely enthralled about keeping children on leashes, but i'm not completely enthralled about keeping dogs on leashes either. now, i've taken care of dogs and i've taken care of toddlers, and i know dogs can run a hell of a lot faster than toddlers, so obviously you've gotta put your ethical objections aside if you don't want your dog to run away, get hit by a car, have fights with other dogs, impregnate some little neighborhood bitches. kids are MUCH easier to keep an eye on, but if something happens ot them, they're not as self-sufficient as animals.

i used to babysit a lot and it was the first time in my life i was ever really selfless -- they weren't even my kids but as long as they were nearby, they were in the front of my brain ALL THE TIME, always in my line of vision. i can see myself being a good parent, better than most parents probably, but boy oh boy, what kind of life would i have if i were in that hyper-vigilant role 24/7/365?

so i dunno. i'm on the fence.

― mies van der rohffle (Jody Beth Rosen), Monday, 5 December 2005 10:38 (nineteen years ago)

Out of interest, are we using the word 'leash' because it's in the thread title, or because that's how reins are known in other countries?

― Mädchen (Madchen), Monday, 5 December 2005 12:16 (nineteen years ago)

Weans on reins

― Rumpie (lil drummer girl parumpumpumpu), Monday, 5 December 2005 12:30 (nineteen years ago)

around the same time as when people started feeling as though they even need to ask questions such as this

Is it bad for a baby to see you masturbating?

― ken c (ken c), Monday, 5 December 2005 13:04 (nineteen years ago)

I'm actually really interested in the question because 'leash' has all kinds of connotations and perhaps the people who don't speak English as their first language are using it without realising it isn't the best translation and has possibly been used by some people on the thread to emphasise their points of view.

I say this as a speaker of two other languages who has frequently picked up all kinds of bad/rude expressions without fully understanding what they mean. That's what happens when you spend the majority of your year abroad in the pub :)

― Mädchen (Madchen), Monday, 5 December 2005 14:10 (nineteen years ago)

in the U.S. we associate leashes with dogs. it's why "baby leash" might sound a little "um, er..." while another name for it would likely placate sensitive persons a little more.

― mies van der rohffle (Jody Beth Rosen), Monday, 5 December 2005 14:19 (nineteen years ago)

I actually don't know the dutch name for it.
Stan, do you know what we call it?

― Nathalie (stevie nixed), Monday, 5 December 2005 14:23 (nineteen years ago)

Yep, we use the same word for pets and kids: leiband. (the "children's tether" meaning is the oldest, even!)

― StanM (StanM), Monday, 5 December 2005 14:27 (nineteen years ago)

That's what happens when you spend the majority of your year abroad in the pub :)

hehe it's funny you say that, because whilst i was in hong kong i noticed that (and this is true in america too actually coming to think of it) there were so many drinking establishments that called themselves 'pubs', when they were clearly bars!!

― ken c (ken c), Monday, 5 December 2005 14:29 (nineteen years ago)

Since the function is the same, I'd guess "leash" and "harness" will be the most commonly used words in other languages as well (in Dutch: leiband, gareel, harnas - all the same words that are used for pets and horses)...

― StanM (StanM), Monday, 5 December 2005 14:31 (nineteen years ago)

Old people ARE put in restraints. The Geri-Chair has a tray that locks into position, preventing escape. Long-term care facilities are not supposed to use them a lot, but many of these places are understaffed, and people with Alzheimer's are often agitated. There is NO EASY SOLUTION.
As for active tots, those of you who are upset by the dog-restraint connotations of the word "leash" should just substitute another word. Or not. Remember— most dogs are TOTALLY OVERJOYED when their owner gets out the leash.

― Beth Parker (Beth Parker), Monday, 5 December 2005 15:32 (nineteen years ago)

Beth is right about dogs and leashes. I saw a dog yesterday carrying the handle of his leash in his mouth as he walked down the road and his little tail was wagging like crazy.

― James Ward (jamesmichaelward), Monday, 5 December 2005 15:36 (nineteen years ago)

Dogs are the best. I loved my babies beyond all reason, and love them as adults, and other people's babys are cute and all, but PUPPIES?????? I get so swamped by puppylust I have to avert my eyes!!!! Why is that? Why am I more turned by babies of another species? I think it's probably a good thing—proof of a global familial web. This has nothing to do with leashes, but the leash thing is played out, don't you think?

― Beth Parker (Beth Parker), Monday, 5 December 2005 15:54 (nineteen years ago)

For a split second I thought you were my gran. Then I realized you also love your children, something she did/does not.

― Nathalie (stevie nixed), Monday, 5 December 2005 16:02 (nineteen years ago)

Lately on ILE people have been mistaking me for their mothers, but this is the first time I've been mistaken for a grandmother. I guess my self image—that of a toddler in need of a leash—is somewhat out-of-whack.

― Beth Parker (Beth Parker), Monday, 5 December 2005 16:54 (nineteen years ago)

not only that but a soon-to-be great grandmother!

― ken c (ken c), Monday, 5 December 2005 16:55 (nineteen years ago)

six months pass...

http://i5.tinypic.com/15yjebr.jpg

― Onimo (GerryNemo), Tuesday, 27 June 2006 20:19 (eighteen years ago)

!!!!!!!!!!

*applauds*

― ailsa (ailsa), Tuesday, 27 June 2006 21:55 (eighteen years ago)

I thought just the 4-year-old cut down all your Animal Crossing trees. What did the other one do? :)

― Jaq (Jaq), Tuesday, 27 June 2006 22:01 (eighteen years ago)

I can't believe I never saw this thread. Imagine it's 1949. A little girl looks across the street and sees a boy her age tied up on a child leash in the yard while his parents and their hosts play bridge - a memory that would freak out the girl as she grew up (the leash was pink and made of icky plastic). Twelve years later the little girl, my mom, meets a guy from the school next door at a dance, who is a day younger than her, who later becomes my dad. Imagine my mother's shock when upon meeting her in-laws they mention they used to play bridge with my mom's old neighbours.

― suzy (suzy), Tuesday, 27 June 2006 22:16 (eighteen years ago)

I thought just the 4-year-old cut down all your Animal Crossing trees. What did the other one do? :)

Oh I'm sure he did something worthy of caging. David's just happy to be off the leash.

― Onimo (GerryNemo), Tuesday, 27 June 2006 22:32 (eighteen years ago)

Hahahah Onimo thats great :D

― Trayce (trayce), Wednesday, 28 June 2006 00:01 (eighteen years ago)

I used to think leashes were absurd, but when I read shit like this it makes me think otherwise.

― Andrew (enneff), Wednesday, 28 June 2006 00:27 (eighteen years ago)

My mum used to harness me. I loved it - I used to pretend I was a horsey or something. She only had one harness though and sometimes she'd want to put it on my brother instead (he was younger) and so I'd sook. Anyway, we lost him coz he stepped into the lift ahead of us and there was a lot of comical going ups & downs and getting out at wrong floors until a kind lady held onto him until we found him. After that he had to stay in the pram.

― miele kitty (miele), Wednesday, 28 June 2006 02:52 (eighteen years ago)

Leashes let kids have leashed kids of their own someday, thus completing what important psychologists refer to as â€œthe circle of Leashes,â€? or â€œLeashes through the generations.â€?

Had my mother not leashed me on our vacations, I'd likely still be stuck in the gears of Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, presumed long-since abducted by some pervert with balloons, or perhaps be scrambling around the scaffolding of space mountain, hidden by darkness, a sickly forsaken Gollum-like creature. I wasn't a bad kid, but I was utterly oblivious. I wouldn't ditch my parents purposefully, I'd just wander off, usually looking in any direction but the one in which I was headed (so I've been told). In my job now I see lots of families, and a similar lack of awareness from the kids. They're not being bold or intentionally difficult -- usually they'll relax for a while when asked -- but they don't yet have the self-discipline to maintain this themselves for very long. They just start running around again. They also don't understand what the risks they're taking are. In that sense keeping them close = keeping them safe, in exactly the same way that setting a curfew, and keeping them inside (surely a more drastic, though more accepted, limitation) is a sensible idea. Someday I hope to tie a child to a piece of leather.

― A Giant Mechanical Ant (The Giant Mechanical Ant), Wednesday, 28 June 2006 04:25 (eighteen years ago)

Assuming a very short type leash/loop attached to kid very close to parent, how is that really any different from holding the child's hand, except in that it is easier on the spines of taller adults?

― Trayce (trayce), Wednesday, 28 June 2006 04:34 (eighteen years ago)

Well, I guess discomfort is probably part of it. My leash (wow) was probably six or eight feet long, judging by pictures. So I was afforded at least the illusion of independence, I suppose. Likewise, my mother and father could walk along without getting sore shoulders or be constantly interrupted by their little â€˜consequence.â€™ I think it was a fairly happy arrangement overall. I was very young, I was happy (so they tell me).

It probably is marginally less safe than holding hands, but if the adult is spending half the time shaking the feeling back into their arm then holding hands isn't really comparable.

― A Giant Mechanical Ant (The Giant Mechanical Ant), Wednesday, 28 June 2006 05:09 (eighteen years ago)

I use a leash/harness/reins on my one-year-old. He has just learnt to walk, wants to walk all the time, and yet regularly falls flat on his face. Since we have wooden floors, that's positively dangerous. With a leash I can pull him back on his feet before he falls. Actually, he's starting to walk a bit better now, and he's also started to put his hands forward so he doesn't fall directly onto his face, so maybe I'll be unleashing him soon. They may look weird, but they're incredibly practical for babies learning to walk.

― Revivalist (Revivalist), Wednesday, 28 June 2006 12:06 (eighteen years ago)

seven months pass...

Revive! I saw a kid on an actual leash a couple of weeks ago. Like actually tethered round its wrist - not like a reins-type affair like this:

http://au.geocities.com/safety4baby/images/ToddlerReins.jpg

but just like a dog-leash.

This was at the football on a busy staircase where 34 year old me and 35 year old Onimo once got separated by the crowd, so, yeah, still necessary for hanging onto toddlers you don't want disappearing.

― ailsa (ailsa), Sunday, 28 January 2007 12:40 (eighteen years ago)

Does Onimo keep you on a leash when you go to the football now?

― StanM (StanM), Sunday, 28 January 2007 13:04 (eighteen years ago)

Nah, because I'm big enough to look after myself (most of the time). But this thread still makes me chuckle to myself whenever I see kids on leashes, like they should be forced to be separated from their parent in a busy situtation just because it might give them a complex.

― ailsa (ailsa), Sunday, 28 January 2007 13:11 (eighteen years ago)

Yeah, I think it's pretty ridiculous too, but then someone posts something like this and you can hardly argue with that...

I used to think leashes were absurd, but when I read shit like this it makes me think otherwise.

-- Andrew (n...), June 28th, 2006 3:27 AM. (enneff) (link)

(Except, what are the chances? Do they really justify being paranoid 24/7?)

― StanM (StanM), Sunday, 28 January 2007 13:18 (eighteen years ago)

No-one keeps their kids on a leash / on reins 24/7, stop being ridiculous. But, in crowds, or when kids are liable to put themselves in danger, and holding their hand isn't an option, there is nothing wrong with them.

― ailsa (ailsa), Sunday, 28 January 2007 13:40 (eighteen years ago)

Incidentally, is emilymv still around? Your kid walking yet? You coping alright?

― ailsa (ailsa), Sunday, 28 January 2007 13:41 (eighteen years ago)

I think it has something to do with the rise of industrialization and wars in general.
Fear. Which is why those of us who are a bit older love reminiscing about our parents shoving us out into the bitter cold to ride bicycles without helmets. And skate on dicey ponds. And gather bloodsuckers and crickets as friends.
And then call us back to home to eat...meatloaf!

― aimurchie (aimurchie), Sunday, 28 January 2007 14:46 (eighteen years ago)

I can't believe this thread is back! Are we all going to reiterate what we said several yards upthread? I'll restrain myself. With a leash, if necessary.

― Beth Parker (Beth Parker), Sunday, 28 January 2007 16:46 (eighteen years ago)

Um, yeah, I've re-read the thread now, I won't be reiterating anymore.

"stop being ridiculous" eh? ok then ;-)

― StanM (StanM), Sunday, 28 January 2007 17:12 (eighteen years ago)

I say keep 'em tied up at all times.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/178/372087383_2b726fa5b2.jpg

― onimo (onimo), Sunday, 28 January 2007 17:37 (eighteen years ago)

Wow! That's one cute baby.

― jennyjennyjenny (pullapartgirl), Sunday, 28 January 2007 19:24 (eighteen years ago)

Aw, is that Megan? She got big!

(I just came across this on random, and wanted to mention about the kid I saw on a leash in a necessary situation. Anyone wanting to reiterate themselves, feel free. I stand by everything I said upthread)

― ailsa (ailsa), Sunday, 28 January 2007 20:02 (eighteen years ago)

OMG my parents had that exact same rainbow strap kiddy leash for me when I was little. I can't remember them ever using it but I guess they must have. But kids can be so bad, leash all them shits and let god sort 'em out.

― A B C (sparklecock), Sunday, 28 January 2007 20:12 (eighteen years ago)

My parents used reins on me when I was small - until I was about 4, I guess. "Reins" and "leash" do make me think of different things, though - reins are what you attach to a harness, a leash is a single strap that attaches to a collar.

The humiliation aspect: I remember my mum looking after a friend's kid, aged about 5 or 6, and threatening him that if he didn't behave when walking home from the village, she would put him on the reins (which she'd kept from when I was small). She only had to take them with her and show him, for him to immediately start behaving himself.

― Forest Pines (ForestPines), Sunday, 28 January 2007 20:23 (eighteen years ago)

That is one cute leashed baby, Onimo!

― aimurchie (aimurchie), Sunday, 28 January 2007 20:31 (eighteen years ago)

i got real drunk and blacked out at disneyland 2 nights ago. i ditched my friends and no one could find me then i apparently went into space mountain line and started cussing people out and tryed to start fights and got kicked out. leashes can be handy.

― chaki (chaki), Sunday, 28 January 2007 21:34 (eighteen years ago)

I still feel all wound up seeing people using the word 'leash' because for me its connotations are:
1) dogs
2) S&M
Both are a touch inappropriate when you're talking about children!

― Mädchen (Madchen), Monday, 29 January 2007 17:07 (eighteen years ago)

I like reins better because they remind me of reindeer and santa.

― Mädchen (Madchen), Monday, 29 January 2007 17:08 (eighteen years ago)

No-one keeps their kids on a leash / on reins 24/7, stop being ridiculous.

Sheesh, Ailsa, you always take people seriously,don't you? He said:"(Except, what are the chances? Do they really justify being paranoid 24/7?)" He wasn't talking about leashing the kid all the time. Or maybe I didn't understand correctly...

Anyway, use whatever you want if it means keeping your kid safe. A leash will hardly hurt a kid (emotionally nor physically). People should give it a fucking rest, what with pushing their opinoins on others thinking that's the way it should be. Parenting is a hard job, an accident can quickly happen. If a leash can prevent that, why not use it?

― Nathalie (stevie nixed), Tuesday, 30 January 2007 14:07 (eighteen years ago)

If not leash or reins how about a monkey harness?

We have one of these! Flickr friends will know how adorable Ava looks in it.

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Tuesday, 30 January 2007 15:41 (eighteen years ago)

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