Do you leash your kid?

We call them reins in England and quite a lot of people use them. I guess we walk more generally over here anyway! Call me fat and lazy all you like.....

I think to each their own, some people feel it's needed and I agree but others don't think it is...you can't judge someone on their parenting skills to a point. I didn't use one for my son (although I"ve thought about it.) everytime I think about it I always picture in my mind my uncle who was leashed when he was little getting down on all fours and acting like a dog, including peeing with one leg up, and realize this would be my son. So I don't because he is also pretty good at listening.

When my kids were toddlers she mentioned getting a leash..........and i said NO WAY! But that's me....

Working in the ER, I wish some parents had leashed their kids. They can slip away for just a moment, a blink of an eye, and tragedy can strike. Dont judge.

I don't agree with putting children on a leash.

If the environment is such that it is appropriate and safe for the child to wander a little bit and explore (i.e. a park), then let the child do that and be prepared to chase them around a little bit.

If the environment is such that it is not appropriate or safe for the child to wander (i.e. a parking lot), then they need to learn that they should stick close to you.

I remember times in a parking lot, or on the sidewalk of a busy street when it was not safe for my children to walk alone. If they refused to hold my hand, I held their wrist. If they tried to wriggle out, I picked them up. If they fought me on it, they got disciplined.

I try to set boundaries for my children.

In my opinion, putting a child on a leash removes those boundaries. It allows a child too much space and/or freedom when it is clearly not appropriate or safe for them to move around freely. I think it is healthy and responsible to raise my children with defined boundaries and clear expectations for behavior. Those boundaries and expectations will increase as they age and move into society.

When you have two hands to hold onto at the same time, you damn well bet I leashed them (twins). I mostly leashed them in places like the airport or the zoo or a carnvel; someplace where it was easy to have one slip away in the crowd and disappear. This stopped as they grew older. The last time I leashed one of my girls, she was 4 and pissed off to be leashed. But I told her that if she didn't obey the rules of staying with us and coming when called, then leashing was my option for her safety. My single son, I leashed him maybe twice because it was much easier to keep track of a single kid. But still, the leash was used when it was a situation where I felt his safety was way more important then the dirty looks I got from other adults. By the way, the girls' dad hated the leashes until he traveled with them by himself. He wasn't in the airport five minutes with one going one way and the other going the opposite and his hands were full of all their and his junk. If they hadn't been leashed to him, they would have been gone in three minutes flat.

My mom leashed me in 1965 - a true dog leash since there wasn't anything else to use. She had no choice. I was super strong as a toddler and loved to run off and hide. They shut down an entire department store once. They found me after 30 minutes playing inside the clothes racks. I had no concept of stranger danger and would have gone with any man out there when I was way little. She only had to do it once. I was mortified and never ran again.

We held hands on the street or sidewalks when my daughter was young, but I did use a leash when we went into the forest. I wanted her to be able to explore more freely than she could holding my hand, but as we lived in the mountains, she could fall off the side of the trail and the leash kept her from falling too far and injuring herself, as well as being hard to reach in that emergency. So the leash gave me security to let her explore the surroundings and bend over and look at things that she wanted ... it was a transition with a backup plan. I still kept an eagle eye on her but let her get maybe 2-3 feet away from me. Kids can be lightning quick, I didn't want to chance it.

I never question folks who are seeking safety for their children. As long as the child is physically and psychologically comfortable, there's nothing wrong with a backup plan. Too many sad stories to think otherwise.

My exgirlfriend made it clear she was a fan of this. I most definetly am not and everytime I see a kid on a leash I laugh my *kitten* off and take a picture and send it to all of my friends with some type of caption.

When you have two hands to hold onto at the same time, you damn well bet I leashed them (twins).

I have two children.. and two hands. I've never leashed my children and we have spent plenty of times in airports, zoos and even foreign countries.

Rather than leashing them I taught them when they needed to stay close, and disciplined them when they didn't.

My best friend is the parent of twin toddlers. She uses a leash and I think it is a great idea. She lets them walk around on the leashes and when they are tired they go in the double stroller. They are 2ish range. I see absolutely no problem with it. And if it makes a parent feel safer in crowded areas that your kid can not taken and ran off with, then great.

While I do not own one personally, my oldest runs and has always been a runner. We give him his freedom in parks, but if we were to ever travel with him again, he would be the perfect face for one of those monkey backpack/harnesses. He has dyspraxia which also goes along with ADHD (undiagnosed, but they are monitoring him for this) and he CRAVES movement constantly. He would not be safe in an airport when two parents are carrying luggage and have two other kids as well.

So yes, these things have their place! Busy streets, shopping centers, traveling -- all places where safety trumps any sort of stigma attached to having your kiddo on a "leash".

Being the oldest child of 4 siblings and many, many cousins, I saw a lot of children grow up as I grew up.

Because I saw them grow up, I thought I knew everything what it took to be a parent and I developed a lot of "IFs" and didn't understand why parents would do such things and even thought a few were bad moms/dads.

Then I had my own...

From that moment on, I stopped judging other mothers/fathers.

1. I grew up and realized, it's not my place to judge. Live and let live.

2. I am the mother to my child, not everyone else's child. I do what I think is best for my daughter and I make the choices I believe would benefit her more. I believe 95% of all the other parents I come in contact with are doing the same thing. I may have different views and opinions than a lot of them, but I in no way think that automatically makes them a bad, weird, crazy, psychotic, or what ever other else you would want to call them. I do not care what some random person thinks I should do with my child. They don't know my child, I do.

If my daughter was a runner and I feared that she could be in danger of stepping out in front of a moving vehicle, you bet your sweet *kitten* I would put a leash/rein on her. I would rather random people I don't give two snots about judge and ridicule me then watch one of the most precious things in my life be harmed.

I leashed my 3 yo girl after my son was born. Mostly in wide open places, like the mall. Not so much because she could run off, but if someone snatched her and ran off, I would have to chase after pushing newborn in a stroller.

Now she is a very independent, self confident, almost 12 yr old. No harm, no foul, right?

I will be honest -- I have raised all three the same and it comes down to personality. Our daughter NEVER ran off and has always stayed right by my side. She would never need to be harnessed and I remember thinking (even when she was a baby), "what is wrong with this kid?" because she was so easy-going. She still is at 3.5 and I can take her and the youngest one (2) shopping. But the oldest (6) alone? Never! He still runs at age 6. STILL. He craves that constant movement and we either just avoid taking him to stores altogether, or find ways for him to exert energy (run some laps at the park) before going to a store; often we will take turns staying in the car and let one of us adults dash in and get what we need while the other parent stays in the car with the kids. SOMEDAY it will get easier.... LOL