by Nick Todd

Created on: July 08, 2009

Nowadays, you can walk into every mall and see at least one mother who has her toddler on a leash. It may at first come across as a crude thing to do to a child because in reality, most people walk there DOGS with a leash. Is this right to treat a child this way? It depends on many things, and here are the pros and cons:

Cons: First, pulling a toddler around on a leash can seem like you think the child is no better than a dog. You probably don't mean this, but it is certainly the way it comes across to most people. But the bigger issue hiding behind this 'dog leash idea' is that you don't have time or don't care about teaching your kid right from wrong. When I see a mother who has a kid on a leash tugging them away from something, it demonstrates to me a certain unintelligence. It tells me that this mother or father can't control their kids without being physical. If a parent starts teaching a kid like this, won't it continue? If the child grows into being a teen and decides to do drugs, how will the parents pull him/her away from the drugs? A leash? A buzzer that shocks him every time he tries to put acid in his mouth? It needs to be understood that there needs to be a higher level of thinking between the parent and the child.

Pros: If the child is always on the leash, and the parent is always holding the leash, it is hard for them to lose the child. For many, this may be the excuse the parent uses for having and using a leash. They care about their kid, they want them to be safe.

To me, the cons far out way the pros. There is much more a need for parents to control their kids without it getting physical. If a parent decides they are going to have a kid, they need to be able to know how to properly teach the kid right from wrong and good from bad, without have to yank them away from someting as if the child were a dumb animal that will never learn.

Here's a story..."The speaker began his speech; interrupted himself to tell everyone to put their hands in the air. After everyone complied, he continued his speech. Just about the time everyone started to put their hands back down because their arms were getting tired, he stopped, and said: you can put your arms down now.....I just wanted everyone to realize how a small child feels when walking through the mall with Mom and dad and holding onto their hands!"

It's up to you as a parent to make the decision. If you decide to use the leash, you better not be self-concious about what other people think of you using a leash.

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