Parenting Elsewhere

[xoxoxoBruce]

Avoid the leash issue by attaching one of these to the top of their head.



No, not the screws, superglue or liquid nails.

Sicko.

[Aliantha]

Haha...just let the hair grow and do a ponytail loop.

[Griff]

Originally Posted by Clodfobble

...motive can make all the difference.

Word.

[orthodoc]

Yes. The trip south, via multiple flights and airports, was the one and only place I ever used a harness on any of my children. It was a pragmatic decision based on my inability to move quickly and my toddler's ability to do the opposite, and having no one else present to intervene in a public, unsafe place.

I only mentioned it because I think there are some circumstances where that type of restraint is in the best interest of the child; not because I think it should be the norm.

[Aliantha]

I have always thought those backpacks shaped like monkeys with a long tail make excellent child restraints. You can grab onto the tail if necessary, otherwise, it's just the kids with a backpack.

I guess I'm just a sook who likes the edges softened for my particularly precious sensibilities...

[xoxoxoBruce]

To we who left the empire, sook sounds kinky, Ali. Had to Google it.

I've had occasion to grab somebody's kid who was making a break for it while the adult was distracted for a second... no more. I'd try to intercept them, get in their way, herd or delay, but no touching. Times have changed, more than Big Brother are watching, and people are quick think the worst, to jump to the wrong conclusion. If I'm going to be in the sexual offender registry I want it to be for something fun.

[glatt]

The little fuckers are fast, and they require 100% of your attention in a potentially unsafe place. If you only have 80% attention to give, that's not enough, and you're just playing the odds. You will lose.

I've got no problem with the harness.

I've seen daycares in the city have the kids all looped to a rope. Or one of these guys.

Fun happy experience?


Or troubling?

[Sundae]

I have to agree that intention is all.
I doubt lazy and irresponsible parents in this country use harnesses and reins.
It's the parents who understand the risks of narrow pavements, parked cars, stalled traffic, exciting things just out of reach that do so.
The rein/ harness set was our best child safety seller when I worked in a high- end nursery store. These were not parents that wanted to tether their kids to an outside pub table because one hand held a fag and the other a Bacardi Breezer.
These were parents who wanted their child as part of their everyday life while accepting that there were risks the child couldn't fathom.

FTR I very rarely saw a child at the end of their tether, literally.
Almost every time the reins were slack and there was very good child/ parent interaction.
I'd rather see a toddler on a rein than a >one year old in a buggy, facing forwards with no parental contact. That's not an either/ or because of the age, I just consider one to be less harmful to development than the other.

[Aliantha]

Really? 1 is just barely walking, if that usually. Looking out from the stroller usually seems fun to most kids I have known. I find that an odd one to take exception to.

[Pico and ME]

I would think a tether could be considered as just another 'hand' to hold. Calling it a leash plays on emotional semantics.

[Sundae]

Originally Posted by Aliantha

Really? 1 is just barely walking, if that usually. Looking out from the stroller usually seems fun to most kids I have known. I find that an odd one to take exception to.

I used the symbol the symbol wrong way round, didn't I?
Never got the hang of that.

[Clodfobble]

No, you had it right. "Greater than one year." But I think realistically you are imagining a child greater than 2 years. My daughter didn't even learn to walk until 14 months.