I was a child of the ‘80s, and there were many aspects of my childhood that kids and adults today would find questionable.
For instance, my mother misplaced me several times while shopping — once at a local mall; once in a parking lot.
However, parents today are all too aware of the dangers present: keeping a constant chain of custody over their children. With so many horror stories in the public domain, the thought of one’s kids being unsupervised at any time is too much for some parents.
For those unwilling to compromise their children’s safety, some opt for a toddler safety leash when out in public, lest their child disappears from their distracted view.
The safety leash is a bone of contention in online discussions, as proved in a conversation posted online recently. Here are some parental perspectives on the matter.
Table of Contents
1. They Look Funny
Most parents understand the volatile nature of raising children and are not too quick to judge, saying that the leash merely looks funny — almost as if one were walking a dog. Then again, there is a fine line between raising puppies and toddlers — both require constant vigilance!
2. Peace of Mind in A Crowded Place
For a portion of my son’s early years, he lived in China. As we all know, crowds can be large there, so we used a leash in crowded areas like malls. This is also the approach for many parents, who say they would use them in airports as one example.
3. Misplacement Was Common Back in The Day
So many moms and dads describe being raised in the ‘70s or ‘80s and doing a disappearing act. However, one commenter explains how they tried joining another cooler-looking family at the airport when they were just two years old. “I was leashed after that,” they joked. “It was the ‘80s.”
4. Home Alone
The more the thread goes on, the more you realize losing kids in airports was common in the ‘80s. Of course, this echoes the plot of Home Alone. Just imagine your kid left home unsupervised. No, I don’t want to, either.
5. Unwilling Puppy Training
Have you ever tried walking a stubborn canine on a leash? This is how it was for one couple who tried the leash out on their son. They explain that his response was to lie down and go limp as soon as they attached the reign. Toddler: 1; parents: 0.
6. The Excitable Toddler
Like the unyielding puppy trope, there is a match in the human department. Some parents say their kids just ran circles around them, through their legs, even tripping them up. Maybe the solution is to avoid crowded spaces altogether.
7. The Pro Lobby
The leash isn’t a new invention, with so many anecdotes from the ‘70s and ‘80s testifying to its existence back then. Therefore, this is not a generational debate. Some older parents are for the toddler leash — with several accounts of the leash saving a life.
8. The Runner
So many adults describe their kids as runners — which translates to turning your back for half a second before seeing those little legs scurrying away. One leash aficionado summarizes this point well: “Toddler on leash > toddler in the road, lost in a crowd, or running up to strangers.”
9. Over-Excessive Usage
In one harrowing account from the ‘50s, a commenter recalls being fixed by the harness to a tree in the back garden. The reason? So their parents could enjoy their Manhattans in peace. The poor kid still remembers it years later: “It was the ‘50s…I guess you could say I’m [still] scarred.”
10. The Safety of Others
Sadly, children with behavioral problems, disorders, and psychological manifestations can be a risk to other toddlers — even animals. The consensus is that those parents who recognize this have the right to take their child out; other parents must praise them for considering others’ safety.
My husband and I, being children of the 50s were raised wearing these leashes. When we had our kids in the 8Os and couldn’t find them, except for the type the went on the child’s wrist with velcro (which they promptly peeled off). My mother-in-law and my mother had both kept the leashes which attached to a harness type which zippered up in the back, where kids’ hand couldn’t reach it. My kids wore the same ones we wore growing up and so did their children. My kids never minded or my grandchildren. If you walk in crowds and have more than one or two small children, they are a safety must. We hiked a regularly and they were wonderful. One daughter lives in a city and it seems a necessity. The other loved them for when she went to the beach for obvious reasons. So far they have been worn by 17 children across three generations!