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These should be illegal in the USA - Child Leashes

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First thing:

How many people who responded to this thread have kids?

How many people who responsed to this thread do not have kids?

Interesting isn't it?


I have 2 kids - and 3.5 and a 2yr old.

I do not have "leashes" for my kids. Some others would call them "restraints". I don't think that I would ever have a product like that.

However, some parents do have them and it's up to them if they think that it's appropriate for their child.

I think that people need to realize that perceptions are much different when you are child-less and and when you are a parent.

Back in the day when I was single and child-less I would have probably looked at these restraints in a funny way. I may have even been repulsed. I would have wondered about their parenting skills since they felt the need to have an implement to help "control" their child.

Now that I have kids i'm on the other side of the coin (to a certain extent).

There are kids that are born "out of control" and "rambunctious" and "have lots of energy". Hell, probably many of those kids are the ones that are posting here against the use of these restraints. I bet that many of your parents wanted to keep you in a cardboard box for hours while they shopped if they could legally do so! 😀

On the flipside, there are parents out there that have no parenting skills and thus unnecessarily so use these restraints like "leashes" so that they can go shopping with an attitude of "less responsibilty" for their kids. Their kids grow up out of control and they don't know how to raise them "right". That's no good neither.

I think that people need to tone their rhetoric with these issues in mind.

It's funny to hear (and a bit disturbing and not all surprising) people who are not parents or who are under a maturity threshold opine about a topic that they know little about or are unqualified to comment about in a mature and educated sense.
 
Not only should it remain legal, it should be required! We require car seats for safety up to a certain age, why not leashes. I wish more parents used them. Then maybe we'd see fewer news stories about kids being nabbed.
 
I was such an evil child I would bolt anytime I was dragged to a store. So my mom bought a leash that went on my wrist and her wrist...but it didn't last. Anytime she'd put it on, I'd simply sit down in the middle of the store and become dead weight and chew on it.

I don't really see the problem with them...they just don't work for us determined childeren!
 
i've personally never used one. i think they are a crutch, BUT i can't see any logic for trying to claim they should be made illegal.

you can't go around making laws against everything that you find offensive. that's called facism.
 
I used a "leash" on my son. worked great too.....not once did I have to lure him over to me with a doggie treat.

If you have ever chased your toddler around a crowded mall while he/she runs to the sparkly pretties, you would certainly understand. You cannot teach a toddler to not run off, they will run off to check things out and to test you.

To those that refuse to use a harness on your kid in a crowded mall, good luck and don't be pissed at the tall guy that knocks him/her down because they didn't see the kid running under their feet.
 
I don't know if they're really needed. Millions upon millions of people in the last 70 years have raised kids without them. Kids have always been the same, it's the parents that change. The leash just seems like lazy parenting to me, but then again parents seem to suck these days anyway.

When I was little I did stupid stuff, and I got popped on the butt when I did it. Worked well for me. I'm still alive (a few close calls though 😉)
 
I don't see a significant difference between using a restraint or holding the kid's hand or an article of clothing, except the restraint device works even when you need your hands for something. If you're doing the latter then it's damn difficult to shop since you'll have to pick up everything with your teeth to avoid ever letting go of the kids. And don't have more than 2!

2 child example, 1 would negate some answers, more than 2 would simply magnify.
Of course this assumes you saw which corner he went around too and he hasn't slipped under a clothing rack to hide.
Do you:
A) Run after Timmy leaving little Sally unattended.
B) Grab Sally and rush around the corner to get Timmy, all 3 come back to find your purse missing.
C) Pause long enough to grab purse & Sally, now delaying retrieval of Timmy longer.
D) Rent a mule from Juan Valdez to pack kids and valuables on. Actually I wish mom had done this when I was a kid.
E) Never lose sight of your kids and know they wouldn't wander away even if they could because you live in a whimsical always positive unreality like Neverland...wait....so much for that. Kids wander off, that's reality, even well trained kids.
F) Use a restraint, keep your kids, valuables, sanity all for the low low price of a dirty look from some ATOTer.

Only problem I see with it is the possibility of getting tangled in close quarters. I certainly wouldn't consider someone a bad parent because they planned in advance to make sure their children wouldn't be separated from them. Suppose people who childproof their kitchen cabinets and electrical outlets are irresponsible too because they should just be watching Jr every second. And how do you know they're not watching their kids in addition to using the leashes anyway? Just because someone has a backup plan doesn't mean they're necessarily slacking off.

Embarrassing for the kid? Maybe a little. I found mitten clips embarrassing, but not until elementary school when other kids made them an issue. Until I was informed I was supposed to be embarrassed the thought had never occurred to me.
 
I never used one, but having children in a crowded situation is a serious problem, my oldest started running across a busy parking lot once, trying to catch a freaking Boeing 727 that was flying overhead, I'd been distracted for only a second & she was 50 freaking yards away screaming "Plane Plane" She had NEVER done anything like that before.

The way laws have been going lately, they'll prob draw up child leash laws rather than outlaw them.
 
Way back in the early 60s when I was around 3 or so, we lived in an old farm house near Plattsburg AFB. There was a 2 lane road with trucks zooming by at more than 55 MPH. My parents would put me on a leash for their piece of mind so I could go out and play without fear of me running out into the road specially when tending to my baby brother and trying to get dinner at the same time. I always was one to run ahead of them when we went shopping as we were growing up. When I was 6 even, my mother used the leash with chest harness on me when flying from Rochester NY to Japan with 3 kids by herself. Pops was already in Japan after a tour in 'Nam and getting PCS orders to Japan. I would have been long gone at any of the airports we had layovers at, whether at San Francisco, Travis AFB, Hickam Field or even Rochester if not for that leash. It isn't the easiest of things to keep control of 3 kids and carry one in your arms along with the luggage required when one wants to run off all the time.

I applaud Game for being able to use one without feeling guilty. Nowadays there are to many sickos in the world that would take off with your kids. I would use one on mine with no guilt or shame what so ever and if you think that is bad parenting, you better guess again.
 
my parents didn't leash me, but I don't think they would've hesitated in the event they thought they needed one. They were much trickier than that, however. They'd buy me one of those sturdy foil balloons when we went to the fairs and malls and whatnot and tie it to a belt loop. If I didn't like the balloon, they'd just buy me another one that I could play with. End result is that I stuck out like a sore thumb in a crowd cuz the balloon always marked my location. I always thought that was darned clever of them. They'd also pick out the distinctive balloons too...like the shiniest or biggest or weirdest shaped balloon. It also took advantage of the fact that if you give a kid a balloon, he's gonna hold onto it for dear life. I thank my parents tho and I'd thank them I think even if they used a leash. I've gotten lost or seperated at times when I went out with cousins and my aunt/uncle and it was terrifying. I'd NEVER want my child to go through that. If you don't think it's possible, consider this: Small children are much shorter than your average adult and are nigh impossible to see in a crowd. Small children are...well...small. They have neither the mass or size to push people out of the way. Small children can be trampled. Shy children are also unlikely to make loud noises or loud enough and distinctive enough to grab attention.

Personally, I think the best way to keep track of your children is to make a device that, on demand and wirelessly, makes your child stand out(like the balloon). Like project a big pillar of light up or start emitting huge plumes of white water vapor above the child. Maybe a series of tiny sentry guns that can, on demand, attack everyone inside of a 6 foot radius...just look for the circle of people being assailed! all kidding aside, leashes are a good idea that I wouldn't mind improving upon.
 
Originally posted by: Regs
Leashes for children.

Saw it in the mall a few months ago but was brought up in a recent discussion. I was absolutely appalled by it and how irresponsible it shows the parents are.

Last thing I want to see is children on leashes being pulled by their parents right next to their pets. I wanted to pop the father in the face for keeping his 5 year old daughter on a leash for thousands to see.


Safety? Sure. There are many times where I remember running off away from my parents in public places, but luckily there where actually decent people around to return me or a security guard that would catch me. Lets face it, verbal communication and discipline does not always work with youngsters. That's when parents resort to sedative drugs.

Drugged up kids on leashes. What's next? Kids in bubbles?

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OMG you are a moron. Out of all the problems you could identify, out of all the problems that children really do have in this world, you have to whine about this?
 
Originally posted by: Doodoo
Are these kids being led around by their necks? Or are you talking about the leash that attaches to their wrist...if its by the wrist i don't see a big problem with it...kinda just like holding onto their hand. I've never seen anyone being led around with a leash around their neck though...that would look kinda odd.
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I've never, ever seen a kid held by a leash. Is this a testament to the failing of the American family? </flamebait>
 
Originally posted by: Skoorb
i asked my mom that once....why parents can't just leave their kids at home or with a sitter when they go shopping, etc. It'd seem so much easier...and makes shopping a much more pleasant experience for EVERYONE else.

but...sometimes you just can't find a sitter...sometimes you go out to eat at restaurants with family...or whatever. Just b/c you have a kid, does that mean you can't ever do anything in public b/c your kids might disturb others?
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Sitters are a pain in the ass and expensive. A quick trip to the grocery store it's not feasible to get a sitter. If you can leave the child with your SO it's a good idea, but in terms of kids acting like little bastards in stores I think threatening to take them out of the store will work...well, not if you're trying on clothes, but if they are being a brat in toys-r-us such a threat if carried through will hold a lot of weight in the future.
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Lock the kids in the car
rolleye.gif


Actually, I remember I did stay in the car sometimes for short stops when I was little, but when I was 5-6 and could open the window or get out of the car if I wanted to.
 
Originally posted by: Hammer
kids wander off. i don't see what the big deal is. better having a leash on a kid than the kid being kidnapped or hit by a car.
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You said it perfectly. Leashes work wonderfully for dogs, why not children. I don't know why America is so afraid or against using proven safety measures in animals with humans.

If they were to rename it to something other than a leash, acceptance of such a product would improve dramatically. It's all perception.
 
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