When people think of leashes, they most likely think of a dog tethered to its owner. Nowadays that isn’t always the case. Many parents are leashing their children as a substitute for watching out for them. These leashes, also known as harnesses or reins, are becoming increasingly popular with parents today.

The first impression many people have when they see a child on a leash is that he or she is being treated as a pet. This is because of the connection people have between dogs and leashes, and how they are pushed and pulled around by their parents as if they were one. According to the Random House Dictionary, a leash is defined as a chain, strap, etc., for controlling or leading a dog or other animal. Now, because of our human vanity, we wouldn’t put ourselves in that category. So why is it, we can, in theory, call our children dogs, and not ourselves?

When children are growing up they learn from their experiences. They take no’s and yes’s and build an understanding about what is right and wrong. A leashed child doesn’t receive these confirmations and contradictions, and subsequently doesn’t learn to stay by his mom’s side or not to touch this or that toy. They only receive a jerk to the wrist, pulling them away from that stand of oranges instead of learning that they shouldn’t knock it over once they are old enough to walk around without the leash.

Leashes also give society an air of laziness. Parents who use leashes are dubbed those looking for a quick fix and easy out to their problems instead of dealing with them properly. These leashes also give the impression that the parent does not own up to their own responsibilities. Parents of small children should keep their eyes out for their kids, leashes allow them to relax that awareness and not watch out for them.

Although leashes for children can be seen as a way to not lose a child and keep him or her out of trouble, they keep that child from learning what’s right or wrong, what he or she should or should not do. The look of a pet, given to a child by these leashes, adds to the air of laziness society is slowly but surely gaining, while parents no longer own up to the responsibilities of parenthood. All-in-all, children simply should not be put on leashes.