by Matthew Fulton

Created on: March 17, 2010

Today, effective parenting has gone out the window for most people. Parents refuse to discipline their child or teach them right from wrong. Toddler leashes just worsen this problem. Why actually make your child mind you when you can just keep them on a chain in the same way you would your Labrador? Your child will be safe and they can not wander off, right? Yes, you've got them on a short leash and they are pretty unlikely to wind up at some sex offender's home. But really? Are people so lazy that they pass on the opportunity to teach their children to mind like normal children? When I was growing up, if I decided I didn't want to mind in public, I got a spanking. Oh no! You can't spank your kids! That is just plain mean! Give me a break. I learned right from wrong, and I learned how to behave like a normal person.

People who put their children on a leash cast off this lesson. For whatever reason, they have decided that they can not control their children in public, so they put them on a cute little leash and they decide that the problem is solved. Well, the problem isn't solved. You just put them in a bubble where there is no right or wrong and no consequences for behaving in an unacceptable manner. You make sure they are "good little angels" and you give them cookies when they get home for behaving so nicely. I give my Beagle more credit than that, and he thinks stale chips are gourmet.

Why has this happened? Why do parents feel that they must put their child on a leash to make them mind? I would assert that it is improper parenting. The Millennial generation (the one that is having all the babies right now) grew up with parents who babied them and told them they were special. Everything they did was a "success". They have no notion of the concept of failure. As parents, they are lazy and are changing the idea that "everyone is a winner" to "there is no competition and no way to fail". And discipline? No, that's just going to hurt their self-esteem, right? Safety is the primary concern for them. They refuse to let their children do anything unsafe so they can't get hurt, and they sanitize everything so little Johnny has no chance of catching a cold. Leashes for toddlers are just a continuation of this passive way to raise a child. Safety and control takes the place of personal development and discipline.

As long as children are on leashes, they will not learn why it is important to mind their superiors. They have no option but to mind when you can yank them

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