Stone Soup by Jan Eliot for April 26, 2009

Can we say “toddler leash”?

Max deserves a good spanking. He could’ve gotten them all killed.

How about a Double Stroller with over the shoulder seat belts

I’m for the toddler leash - a great safety device.

I think a leash is for a dog not a child. My children were all taught to stay with me and behave when near traffic. It is amazing what showing a child up close and personal how big cars are and the safety of following a few simple rules.

Nothing wrong with a safety leash WHILE you’re teaching them to stay by you and respect traffic. Then once they learn and are old enough, throw the leash away and know you did a great thing protected your child and teaching them pedestrian safety. ;)

Yep. Time for a leash. Kids are resilient about things like “I’m on a leash like the dog,” not so resilient about things like “there’s a Volvo on my spleen.”

My dad was doing the grocery shopping one day with me and my older sister–I was in the seat provided for small children in the cart, and my sister was on one of those toddler leashes. For whatever reason, a woman came up and with no provocation began screaming at my father that “Leashes are for dogs, not children! You should be ashamed of yourself!” So my father picked me up and started trying to calm me down (being frightened, I’d immediately started crying and screaming) and unhooked my sister. He told the meddler that if she was so concerned about his daughter’s well-being, she could be the one to keep her from climbing shelves and then falling and busting her head open, getting lost in the crowds, wandering off, being kidnapped, or anything else he’d put her on a leash to prevent. My sister promptly ran down the aisle and tried to climb to the top of the shelf. My dad looked at the woman and said, “Well? Aren’t you going to do something? You were worried enough to come over here and cause a scene a minute ago.” She just stood there dumbstruck, and so he told her, “The next time you’re so concerned about a child’s welfare that you come over and yell at their parent, be prepared to do something constructive about it instead of just b*&%h.” Then he collected my sister, put her back on the leash, and continued his grocery shopping. My sister doesn’t have any lasting psychological trauma from being on a leash for her own safety, but I still remember being scared of that lady yelling at my dad.

laurakat05 wow. that is something. this one i can agree with. i dont like the idea of a leash on a kid but heck i see how they help. maybe we should get one.

I’m lucky. I can count on one hand the things I’ve done RIGHT from infancy. One of them involves safety. My daughter IS getting a little resistant to it, but for the most part, I’m convinced it’s save lives (theirs!)

Even the bird’s like: “whoa!”