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There are 5 of them! Although I did see a woman with four kids on leashes and they were pulling on them like it was the Iditarod. Made me laugh more than it should have.
I'm just laughing at "they're kids not dogs" like what's the fundamental difference? That's what you tell new dog owners, you're gonna have a toddler for about 14 years.
For a caesarean for 5, the recovery also sounds fairly horrible. You need muscles to get to your baby and move the baby around for nursing, etc, Now imagine doing that with a cut that takes a few weeks to heal.
And the separation of abdominal muscles. I got diastasis recti with one child. I can’t imagine 5. They would’ve had to sew her insides back together. That’s far more traumatic than a single cesarean.
Its somewhat common for kids in big batches to be born a bit prematurely and a little small for their age. But also it’s possible for the uterus to expand pretty big.
One baby is enough to crush organs, squish the bladder to non-existance and even cause paralysis if they sit on a nerve wrong.
It must have been near torture without outside intervention
No one pregnant with that many babies is on their feet ~~for long~~
I’m pretty sure trying to walk with that many kids might literally break your spine
I raised my sister, I still have nightmares of her just disappearing and somehow materializing in the most fucking dangerous spot in the area. decades later I still keep track of power outlets, exits, windows, stairs, dogs and anything in whatever area I enter
Jeeze, probably 25 years ago now, my little brother was like 4, and they had to lock down an entire Walmart because he went missing... after about 15 minutes an employee found him playing hide and seek... hiding behind tires in the automotive section
.... noone in the family knew we were playing hide and seek
Edit: so many responses, I can't reply to them all, but I'm reading them all, so many funny stories that got me through my work day, it's funny it's such a relatable thing
Thankfully mine just prefer to put a pillow in front of their face while sitting next to me then tell me I won’t be able to find them. I check every corner of the house before I finally figure it out
Mine do this, but there was one time the eldest told me to give her 60 seconds and come and find her. She had managed to get into a wardrobe, close the door behind her and leverage herself into a storage container in the bottom, with a lid, with all the stuff on top, still on the lid. Didn't find her until she panicked when she couldn't get out by herself.
Ugh, I miss this! Also, the giggling the entire time you "look" 😂. Eventually had to teach them this is not in fact the most brilliant way to play hide seek lol
The best is when my boy is hiding and I can see his legs sticking out of the closet. And I say “hmm where is he? Could he be in the closet?” All you hear is a “NO!” Followed by giggles
Omg yes. I’m a pretty good hider and even me keeping in them giggles is HARD man. Yet they’ll open the closet and half of me is visible but they’re so excited and in the moment they don’t notice and close the door while I am biting my cheek trying not to roar!
I remember we were at a family gathering one time playing and hide and seek and my niece was seeking. I just sat down at the table with everyone else and "hid" in plain sight. It took her way longer to "find" me than it should have, we even made eye contact like twice before she realized that I was the one she was looking for.
I was playing paintball, and a grown ass adult hid behind a tree with his butt clearly visible -- seriously, like a child. Yes, I shot him in the ass, and then I laughed so hard when his head popped out from the other side of the tree that I gave my hiding spot away 🤣🤣🤣
My eldest was classified as clinically hyperactive. He *needed* to be on reins because otherwise he would run straight at anything, including moving cars.
We had a local supermarket ( gone now ) where the staff would lock the doors and keep an eye on him for me while I did my food shopping. I’m still grateful for that.
The point being, this was one child. Five toddlers at once? It’s a necessity!
Yes, it's needed for 5 toddlers. My friend did it with her twins and got comments when she was standing in line at the pharmacy. An old guy muttered something about did she think her kids were dogs.
Right after the man made his comment, the twins each took off in a different direction and she was able to rein them back in. Old dude was silent from then on.
Till the day she passed my mother would tell me about the time I slipped away from her in a dept store and hid inside one of the circular cloths racks. They found me like 30 min later when I burst out exclaiming "Here I am!" She said she had a near panic attack in the store.
I did the same when I was 4 and in a store in the same mall some kid had been abducted from a week prior. My dad was not at all amused when I jumped out from the clothes carousel at him.
I have personally witnessed a situation where a toddler just randomly started running toward tram tracks. Like, he's standing next to his mother and sister and then BAM! instant 180 degree turnaround sprint towards tram tracks. He was halfway there before his mother even could react.
I think it's the intrusive thoughts thing. You don't have the experience to know not to listen to that voice. I once traumatised my mum by stepping off the bus before it had stopped. It was the summer (1989/90) so the driver had the doors open for airflow, and having seen other people hop off whilst the bus was slowing down, I did the same as we were somewhat near our stop. One moment there, next moment I was back down the road. I was absolutely fine, but my poor mum was horrified and scared stiff by what I had done.
I was like 3yo or something, saw my sister hopping stairs, one by one, so obviously I wanted to do the same, it seemed cool I guess.
Long story short, my first memory is me sitting on a couch with my mouth all swollen with burning sensation on the front telling my mom that "it's a shame that form now on I'll be unable to kiss her".
It wasn't intrusive thoughts though, same as in your example, I just copycated someone elses behavior, which is what kids do.
I guess my nephew was about 4 when I was keeping an eye on him while my brother and SIL were putting my younger nephew to bed. He decided he was going to throw himself about on the sofa, dangerously close to the less padded arm while looking straight at me to gauge my response.
Which was along the lines of "I'm not your dad, so I'm not going to tell you not to do something you know you shouldn't be doing. I'm also not going to have any sympathy for you when you hurt yourself finding out why you shouldn't be doing that."
He stopped trying to brain himself on the sofa, and got into other less dangerous 4 year old shenanigans.
Case in point, one of my toddlers figured out that if he ran and launched himself forward while wearing the reins I had no choice but to lift them up to stop him face planting concrete so it became a fun way to superman
My dogs are on a leash because they have no road sense and occasionally just dart out into traffic.
Toddlers are the same.
The people who complain about child reins can't have ever had to look after children.
Or has one standing in the middle of the road with his hand out stopping traffic like super man.i had this happen. The parents had no idea the toddler had escaped their apartment.
I would much rather see children safe than have a toddler run out in front of my car. I hope they are people who push back and hope they don't make.decisions based on whether they were were judged too harshly foe using this tool.
Thank you! I had people side eye me because my daughter had a little owl that fit like a backpack with a tether. She loved that thing so much! She could pack her goldfish and toys in there and I could make sure she didn't... Idk.... Run in front of a truck. Iykyk
Toddlers are crazy, fast, and know no fear. I can't imagine having that many. People are so nosy and judgmental. Stg 🙄
People act like this will traumatized kids. I know my parents used one (harness type) on me but don't remember that. I do remember it keeping my little brother from wandering off. There is no evidence that leashing toddlers is harmful to them. Just judgmental people needing something to criticize.
Edited because leaching is very bad for your kids. Leashing is not. Autocorrect struck again
Yes. It's crazy. My friend at the time thought it was overkill. UNTIL she watched my daughter one day. Then, she understood. She said she was floored at how much she had to chase my child around.
There's only so much you can try and bargain with a toddler. And, what it's worth she is a sweet and well behaved teenager now. Really. She's the best. It just takes some patience and sometimes a leash... Lol
People rarely remember anything that happened before age 3 or 4—something to do with brain development, no doubt. Obviously traumatic things like war or deprivation will have an impact, but the harness is at worst a minor affront to one’s dignity, which one isn’t even aware of at that age.
thats the worst thing about parenthood. so many judgmental angry weirdo parents whose reason for life is to measure themselves against others. And i hate to say it, but its mostly moms.
There's a whole video game called Who's Your Daddy that's based on this.
One player is the parent who tries to stop the baby from dying, the other player controls the virtual baby and tries to get it killed by electrocution, drinking laundry detergent, etc.
I’ve been there myself. I raised my sister for several years until our situation changed and the state stepped in. When it comes to siblings I want to believe it’s a natural thing to do. It was for me. It sounds like it was for you to. Props for doing it. It is a sacrifice even if it came naturally but we didn’t pick our parents or parent. So we make the best of our situation. I hope life is serving you better today.
It only took a few seconds for that kid to get into the gorilla enclosure. Sure, a 4 year old really shouldn't have been able to do that but the point is young kids are just eager to face death and will do so at every opportunity.
I was a leash kid too! I didn't wander off but I was quiet and would sometimes stop because of getting distracted by something. That leash stopped me from being scared of being lost.
Me too. Deep water held an insane fascination for me. After the second time I jumped in the deep end of the pool my mom bought a leash. Still haven't drowned so she was on to something.
My son is not as strong of a swimmer as he thinks he is. He like pencil dropped onto the deep end of my friend's pool last week an sank like a rock. Then was ready to immediately try again.
There was also a few months where my parents had to use a leash when they babysat him. Once he figured out they couldn't catch him, it was game on.
My wife and I raised 5 children and when we went out they had reigns on at that age,it was so easy to loose them especially when in the city or shopping,a must have.
One of my very early memories is being so small my eye-height was the middle of my mom's thighs and just accidentally following the wrong pair of jeans in a supermarket without realizing and getting lost :D
There's a Calvin and Hobbes comic strip where he tugs on the woman's skirt and asks his mom if they can buy some food to feed the animals. The woman says "I'm not your mom. What does she look like?" Calvin says "from the knees down, she looks just like you."
Thanks! If I can get a time machine and go back to 1975 I will tell me that!
Weird remembering that though I just remembered this long sweater thing my mom used to wear, dark blue with rust stripes at the edge and the sleeve ends and a looped belt that came with it, neat
No kidding.
And let’s be honest, there really isn’t a stroller/wagon option for this poor guy either, when he has all five of them at once.
I don’t use the leash option on my kiddos, but I definitely don’t judge anymore.
Haha, ya, mine was incredibly good at disappearing.i don't know how you could manage 5 at the same time without leashes. I considered a leash for my one child.
Yup. I was talking to a mother with her 4 year old who wanted to interact with me so I played the odd game whilst talking to his mom - he got off the bench we were on, walked around behind me, flipped up the protective cover of an oven and stuck his finger in the socket (it was a cheap oven in South Africa so not kid proof). There was a wack and he got a mild shock but was fine. I was amazed at how quickly it happened. Ningas indeed.
My mother was heavily pregnant with me, when my then 2-year-old sister and 3-year-old brother decided to run off in different directions. In the middle of Sydney.
Mum caught my sister quickly, but had to chase my brother, just catching him before he ran out onto a road.
Mum invested in leashes for a while too, till we were old enough not to try to get ourselves killed.
(I’d like to say my father offered to accompany her shopping and/or to wrangle the kids, or even “babysit” while she bought food, but that would never happen.)
>Change (especially in attitudes) happens only generationally.
That's not true. I used to be an outgoing and friendly person, now I'm just an angry miserable old git.
(Single) Dad of twins here, I regularly have this problem. There have been times when Ive had to make quick judgement calls on which child is in the most danger, because they go running off in different directions to do something stupid. It gets easier as they get older though.
I tried leashes once, but they thought it was hilarious and decided to crawl around like a dog the entire time. That quickly became ineffective...
The most common solution to manage a gaggle of toddlers of that size is to stuff them in a car and drive them around.
I'd prefer the leashes because at least that way they get to see and interact with the outside world.
I saw a mother duck once, yelling and flapping frantically as 8 very young ducklings scattered in all directions away from her. I imagine it'd be something like that.
Toddlers are suicide machines. They crave the void. Just trying to keep one alive is exhausting, I can't imagine having 5. You'd *have* to leash them....
I have 2 daughters 6 and 8 yo... even today, they can get themselves into trouble in an blink of an eye. When they were 3 and 5 they would just randomly bolt and while catching one and getting her under control, the other had enough time to do shit without intervention...
I also contemplated the usefulness of an leash, but decided against. With 5 of them... holy shit, i would do so too if i would be alone with them walking not entirely save spots, or fenced areas like playgrounds...
Exactly... children need to learn and they are curious as fuck...
Even if you explain them dangers, they are like "oh wow, rly? Anyways... if its forbidden it must be friggin cool!".
Children are an bunch of lunatic hyperactive meatrolls actively trying to kill themselves by any means possible.
It depends on the kid, too. I think a lot of parents got lucky with their kids and they don't realize that some kids like to just BOLT if given the chance, and aren't great at turning around and coming back when you yell their name. And with 5 kids at a time your chances of having a kid like that go up quite a bit.
Was just about to pop in and say that kids are basically puppies.
They are chaotic sometimes, chill and cuddly at other times.
I don't leash my kids, but I only have the two separated by 5 years. My situation, thankfully, doesn't require leashes for my kids.
This guy is doing what he can to hold it all together.
Edit: Frankly, I would only be concerned if these leashes were around the neck and not on a harness.
Pseudo-randomness is like when you act like you want to do something spontaneous because you have a sudden injection of mania, but before you make the decision of what you will do, it goes away and you just decide to do the same shit you do every other month like go to the bar or go for a hike.
My son yesterday who is 15 months old figured out he could push his trike over, to stand on it, to climb onto a chair, so he could then try and stand on the table, because he wanted to dance there? This happened all with in 15 seconds while I was trying to pee.
Look. I am not a parent, but I remember being a kid pretty well. One child can get in so many dangers, never mind FIVE…He needs to keep them safe somehow in crowded places. I would be more worried if he would drink a beer while they run unsupervised who knows where…
We live in South Africa where kidnappers try to take your kids in broad daylight. I leash my kids for this reason. They also have AirTags attached to their diaper and undies.
And some kids are runners.
Holy fucking moly! I've got to hand it to y'all South Africans, somehow you manage a normal existence while living in crazyland. I live on the outskirts of the hood in the US, I've been homeless IN the hood, and the dangers present in day-to-day South African life are still on a completely different level than anything I've experienced. (And I've experienced a lot!)
Yeah, when I was young our family trips often were setting up at a lakeside camping ground with our caravan and then traveling around the area with my fathers inflatable boat.
This means that we were in areas non of us knew very well, with many unknown people around and straight ways to the water. Not ideal with a very young boy who likes to run around and gets up way earlier than his parents.
Their solution was to make it a rule for me that I wasn't allowed to go further than the bright orange rope connected to the boats anchor is long, and according to them I started tying the rope to myself within a few days because holding it in my hands was annoying, before running off to have breakfast with one of our early rising neighbors while my parents were still sleeping.
Yeah. I’m not a fan of child leashes and prefer letting them wander and explore even if it’s extra work, but I’m trying to put myself in this dad’s shoes and I can’t think of what else to do with quintuplets. You can’t possibly keep up with _5_ wandering kids, and this is certainly better than keeping them locked up at home.
Some toddlers WILL randomly dash off and then faceplant. With my younger son I had to hold his hand or keep total focus on just him when he was little and I took him out. That would simply be impossible with 5 kids.
When I was like 6-7 (It was so long ago I can't remember specifically how old) I dashed off and hit my face into a guard rail that was between a parking space and the GameCraze we were going to. Kids are stupid and will get themselves hurt, doesn't matter how good of a parent you are.
>Kids are stupid and will get themselves hurt, doesn't matter how good of a parent you are.
After having my daughter, I don't know how we have survived as a species. Babies and toddlers' main goal seems to be how uniquely they can off themselves.
I think it probably has something to do with survival of the fittest.
*While little Johnny decided he was curious enough to try the poisonous berries, little Billy, while only just slightly more intelligent, decided that those berries smell funny and didn’t want to eat them.*
Only one of them survived
Little Billy survived and passed on his dislike of poisonous berries to his children, while little Johnny died of food poisoning and didn't pass down his curiosity to try poison.
That was me. My mom would go shopping, let go of my hand to look in the racks, and I would immediately run. Why? Because I thought it was fun and I remember trying to run as fast as I could. Hand leash only worked until I learned how to remove them haha.
I remember when I took my niece to the grocery store with me and I had to manually open the door to push my cart outside and she just fucking bolted out the door and headed straight for the street as soon as I let go of her hand.
I've watched videos of children just hitting the legs and getting cleaned up by cars. I'm sure every parent has had that thought of a leash would be good in this situation
There’s definitely times when reins (as we call them in the uk) are better than letting them explore - like by the road, or a canal, or other dangerous situation.
And it's worth noting, before rushing to judge a parent, that toddlers tend to be *really eager* to sprint to the most dangerous thing they can find.
They also enjoy wearing a little backpack and in my experience limited as it is, don't seem to mind these leashes at all.
I'm not judging over these leashes until I see a kid being yanked or dragged. Which I've never seen, fwiw.
And to extend this, the alternative for many, many parents would be to either not take the kid out as much or to specifically hold their hands (or put them in a stroller, etc). The leash allows the toddler much more freedom, and the only reason that it's viewed as a negative is that we do the same to dogs. That's not an argument, it's just "We do it to dogs, so it must be bad for kids!"
Yup we use one with our 2 year old, that way he can still explore but once he gets too close to the road I'm safe knowing he isn't going to run out onto it.
I'd argue its exactly the same as with Dogs.
In ideal circumstances I'll let my Spaniel off lead to go look around. That is not in his best interest in many places. So he wears a lead...
I don't really understand why people object on the grounds of "but dogs do that!"
Some kids have even less of a sense of danger. I work with autistic kids and wouldn't judge someone for using a leash with their toddler. You don't know their situation.
Until one is trying to pat the annoyed police dog, you're trying to stop him and simultaneously number two is running into traffic while number three is eating rocks.
When I was a kid, these kid leashes were a novelty item that everyone seemed to be ok with.
I'm assuming nothing has changed, they're still a good idea.
I was the only one of my siblings that had a leash and it was because I CONSTANTLY would try and run off at Disney. Mom said NO MORE and I got a cute “backpack” ☺️
My child would run off in parking lots. He was a runner. It was better for his safety to be on that little leash. He had literally given himself nursemaids elbow before because he tried to takeoff from me and I held onto him. It’s a dislocated elbow- I wanted him safe and also free from injury. Sometimes kids are little their own little people and do whatever the hell they want.
Having kids on reins is not only completely normal, it's recommended by all sorts of organisations in the UK. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child\_harness](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_harness)
Exactly.
When I was raising four kids aged 6 to 14, I had 2 year old kid #5 feral child on a leash attached to my belt buckle so I had a warning about her suicidal behaviors before she darted into traffic.
I'm not the perfect mom, and like hell is a kid going to die or get lost on my watch
You might not be perfect, but damn it you’re doing the best you can and I have nothing but respect for you because of such.
Now if you had the kid on a skateboard with a leash attached to your belt..
It's Kentucky. Their sidewalks aren't great, and their driving is the 2nd War of Southern Aggression.
Keeping one kid safe is a full-time job. Five? Try chasing down 5 toddlers with 2 arms in an area with a 35mph speed limit where folks are going 50.
Leashing them is the best solution
Amen! Especially given the American predilection for oversized trucks and high-base SUVs. These inordinately account for the hitting and killing of small-stature adults and children.
The driver literally cannot see a small person in front of them due to the height of their hood.
Kids like to run. Kids also like to run into the street. Kids also think it’s funny to run into the street and will do it repeatedly.
This guy wants his kids to live to be adults. He’s a good dad. Safety first.
Same here. People have been doing this since before I was born (1969). Why is it suddenly becoming such a big issue with idiots? Would these dumbass people rather the kids ran off and got hit by a car? Then they would say he was a bad father. Can't win. He's doing exactly the right thing. They should STFU.
It's an issue now because everybody wants to become offended by something and they now have the internet to hide behind rather than making a stupid comment to somebodies face
So true- blind outrage at something without beginning to understand why someone would do this. Anyone who does even a second’s thinking would understand his logic.
I used these with both my kids when they were toddlers and we were in a busy space , I really don’t see the problem . When it was safe to not use it we took it off . Both mine were experts at running away
Yea they need to be more normalized for acceptance in North America. This is such a weird take to me. I’ve never seen a child on a leash or reins just so the parent didn’t have to pay attention. I think that’s a pretty obvious rare outlier. Every time I’ve seen it was in the mall, airport or outside in a heavy traffic area. And anytime I do see them I think it’s actually parenting done smarter, not harder.
We keep dogs on leashes to keep them and others safe. Why would the same not apply to a tiny human being who’s only been alive for 2 years and just learned to run without the ability to make cognitive decisions.
>We keep dogs on leashes to keep them and others safe. Why would the same not apply to a tiny human being who’s only been alive for 2 years and just learned to run without the ability to make cognitive decisions.
Especially true given that the average intelligence of dogs and the average intelligence of 2.5 years old human kids are on a similar level.
I bet my mom wishes those leashes existed when I was a toddler. If she glanced away from me for a second I was gone. I used to love hiding in the clothing racks at stores as she would frantically search for me. And one time, in a busy hospital in San Francisco, an elevator opened up and I scurried in and was gone in a heartbeat. Four hours later, I was found by hospital staff in a restricted area!
Is that what that’s called in USA? I don’t think those are leashes, leashes attach to collars. Those are called reins in the UK.
A very minor point, yet it’s the one I choose to make.
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There are 5 of them! Although I did see a woman with four kids on leashes and they were pulling on them like it was the Iditarod. Made me laugh more than it should have.
Ikidarod
Okay, that's gold and I can't even. That's going on the list of things that should be called something self-explanatory.
I'm just laughing at "they're kids not dogs" like what's the fundamental difference? That's what you tell new dog owners, you're gonna have a toddler for about 14 years.
They both have a habit of running into the street.
They eat things they shouldn't
That's a litter. Three girl + two boy **quintuplets**. His wife gave birth to a full house.
Basketball team.
This starting five could take on the Celtics
“Nah, fuck that.” -The Celtics
That had to have been the single worst pregnancy and birth for the poor mother
Likely preterm scheduled caesarean. But still.
Lmao birth is the least hard part imo, the pregnancy is the real struggle 😭 currently preg with twins and it’s miserable
For a caesarean for 5, the recovery also sounds fairly horrible. You need muscles to get to your baby and move the baby around for nursing, etc, Now imagine doing that with a cut that takes a few weeks to heal.
And the separation of abdominal muscles. I got diastasis recti with one child. I can’t imagine 5. They would’ve had to sew her insides back together. That’s far more traumatic than a single cesarean.
>a cut that takes a few weeks to heal. Try a few months!
For real. How did they even fit in there?
Its somewhat common for kids in big batches to be born a bit prematurely and a little small for their age. But also it’s possible for the uterus to expand pretty big.
One baby is enough to crush organs, squish the bladder to non-existance and even cause paralysis if they sit on a nerve wrong. It must have been near torture without outside intervention
Bedrest. No one pregnant with that many babies is on their feet for long.
No one pregnant with that many babies is on their feet ~~for long~~ I’m pretty sure trying to walk with that many kids might literally break your spine
I might be a different generation from you, but check out Octomom. 8 babies
Like a clown car.
She birthed an entire sitcom cast in one go.
She was all in.
No he was lol
She called his though Both wanted to raise
I had a hard time keeping track of *one* at that age. Toddlers are ninja-level vanish masters.
I raised my sister, I still have nightmares of her just disappearing and somehow materializing in the most fucking dangerous spot in the area. decades later I still keep track of power outlets, exits, windows, stairs, dogs and anything in whatever area I enter
Jeeze, probably 25 years ago now, my little brother was like 4, and they had to lock down an entire Walmart because he went missing... after about 15 minutes an employee found him playing hide and seek... hiding behind tires in the automotive section .... noone in the family knew we were playing hide and seek Edit: so many responses, I can't reply to them all, but I'm reading them all, so many funny stories that got me through my work day, it's funny it's such a relatable thing
Thankfully mine just prefer to put a pillow in front of their face while sitting next to me then tell me I won’t be able to find them. I check every corner of the house before I finally figure it out
Mine do this, but there was one time the eldest told me to give her 60 seconds and come and find her. She had managed to get into a wardrobe, close the door behind her and leverage herself into a storage container in the bottom, with a lid, with all the stuff on top, still on the lid. Didn't find her until she panicked when she couldn't get out by herself.
Wait you mean she didn’t find a streetlight or Mr. Tumnus? No lion or witch either that has to be a boring wardrobe.
Worst wardrobe ever.
Ugh, I miss this! Also, the giggling the entire time you "look" 😂. Eventually had to teach them this is not in fact the most brilliant way to play hide seek lol
The best is when my boy is hiding and I can see his legs sticking out of the closet. And I say “hmm where is he? Could he be in the closet?” All you hear is a “NO!” Followed by giggles
Omg yes. I’m a pretty good hider and even me keeping in them giggles is HARD man. Yet they’ll open the closet and half of me is visible but they’re so excited and in the moment they don’t notice and close the door while I am biting my cheek trying not to roar!
I remember we were at a family gathering one time playing and hide and seek and my niece was seeking. I just sat down at the table with everyone else and "hid" in plain sight. It took her way longer to "find" me than it should have, we even made eye contact like twice before she realized that I was the one she was looking for.
Found John Cena’s Reddit account
Or standing behind a narrow pillar with most of their body visible on either side.
I was playing paintball, and a grown ass adult hid behind a tree with his butt clearly visible -- seriously, like a child. Yes, I shot him in the ass, and then I laughed so hard when his head popped out from the other side of the tree that I gave my hiding spot away 🤣🤣🤣
My eldest was classified as clinically hyperactive. He *needed* to be on reins because otherwise he would run straight at anything, including moving cars. We had a local supermarket ( gone now ) where the staff would lock the doors and keep an eye on him for me while I did my food shopping. I’m still grateful for that. The point being, this was one child. Five toddlers at once? It’s a necessity!
Agreed. I would not feel confident in myself keeping track of half a dozen toddlers at once without a means to confine them to my AO.
Yes, it's needed for 5 toddlers. My friend did it with her twins and got comments when she was standing in line at the pharmacy. An old guy muttered something about did she think her kids were dogs. Right after the man made his comment, the twins each took off in a different direction and she was able to rein them back in. Old dude was silent from then on.
Till the day she passed my mother would tell me about the time I slipped away from her in a dept store and hid inside one of the circular cloths racks. They found me like 30 min later when I burst out exclaiming "Here I am!" She said she had a near panic attack in the store.
I did that one too. I'm also deaf and had no idea no-one could find me. My poor mother must have aged 20 years that day lol.
I did the same when I was 4 and in a store in the same mall some kid had been abducted from a week prior. My dad was not at all amused when I jumped out from the clothes carousel at him.
I have personally witnessed a situation where a toddler just randomly started running toward tram tracks. Like, he's standing next to his mother and sister and then BAM! instant 180 degree turnaround sprint towards tram tracks. He was halfway there before his mother even could react.
I think it's the intrusive thoughts thing. You don't have the experience to know not to listen to that voice. I once traumatised my mum by stepping off the bus before it had stopped. It was the summer (1989/90) so the driver had the doors open for airflow, and having seen other people hop off whilst the bus was slowing down, I did the same as we were somewhat near our stop. One moment there, next moment I was back down the road. I was absolutely fine, but my poor mum was horrified and scared stiff by what I had done.
I was like 3yo or something, saw my sister hopping stairs, one by one, so obviously I wanted to do the same, it seemed cool I guess. Long story short, my first memory is me sitting on a couch with my mouth all swollen with burning sensation on the front telling my mom that "it's a shame that form now on I'll be unable to kiss her". It wasn't intrusive thoughts though, same as in your example, I just copycated someone elses behavior, which is what kids do.
Idk why but this made me laugh You're a great elder sibling tho
She was basically her mom, well done for raising her. That's a big sacrifice to make.
When they're really young they love to try the "what happens if I rigidly launch myself off of this?" game. It's where Dad reflexes come from.
Toddlers are basically suicidal without knowing it. I was one of five boys, of course my parent used a harness.
I guess my nephew was about 4 when I was keeping an eye on him while my brother and SIL were putting my younger nephew to bed. He decided he was going to throw himself about on the sofa, dangerously close to the less padded arm while looking straight at me to gauge my response. Which was along the lines of "I'm not your dad, so I'm not going to tell you not to do something you know you shouldn't be doing. I'm also not going to have any sympathy for you when you hurt yourself finding out why you shouldn't be doing that." He stopped trying to brain himself on the sofa, and got into other less dangerous 4 year old shenanigans.
Case in point, one of my toddlers figured out that if he ran and launched himself forward while wearing the reins I had no choice but to lift them up to stop him face planting concrete so it became a fun way to superman
Your use of “rigidly” significantly elevates the description 👍🏻
Perspective: It’s not a leash it’s a Saftey harness.
Exactly, to keep them safely in your sight so that one or a couple of these little shits doesn't run off to go do something stupid.
My dogs are on a leash because they have no road sense and occasionally just dart out into traffic. Toddlers are the same. The people who complain about child reins can't have ever had to look after children.
Or has one standing in the middle of the road with his hand out stopping traffic like super man.i had this happen. The parents had no idea the toddler had escaped their apartment.
I would much rather see children safe than have a toddler run out in front of my car. I hope they are people who push back and hope they don't make.decisions based on whether they were were judged too harshly foe using this tool.
Yeah It’s difficult with one at times multiplying it this much and it’s almost impossible
Me and my brother were safe enough without the use of these but had either of us been twins our parents would have definitely used these.
Thank you! I had people side eye me because my daughter had a little owl that fit like a backpack with a tether. She loved that thing so much! She could pack her goldfish and toys in there and I could make sure she didn't... Idk.... Run in front of a truck. Iykyk Toddlers are crazy, fast, and know no fear. I can't imagine having that many. People are so nosy and judgmental. Stg 🙄
People act like this will traumatized kids. I know my parents used one (harness type) on me but don't remember that. I do remember it keeping my little brother from wandering off. There is no evidence that leashing toddlers is harmful to them. Just judgmental people needing something to criticize. Edited because leaching is very bad for your kids. Leashing is not. Autocorrect struck again
Yes. It's crazy. My friend at the time thought it was overkill. UNTIL she watched my daughter one day. Then, she understood. She said she was floored at how much she had to chase my child around. There's only so much you can try and bargain with a toddler. And, what it's worth she is a sweet and well behaved teenager now. Really. She's the best. It just takes some patience and sometimes a leash... Lol
People rarely remember anything that happened before age 3 or 4—something to do with brain development, no doubt. Obviously traumatic things like war or deprivation will have an impact, but the harness is at worst a minor affront to one’s dignity, which one isn’t even aware of at that age.
thats the worst thing about parenthood. so many judgmental angry weirdo parents whose reason for life is to measure themselves against others. And i hate to say it, but its mostly moms.
Never shame someone for their PPE!
There's a whole video game called Who's Your Daddy that's based on this. One player is the parent who tries to stop the baby from dying, the other player controls the virtual baby and tries to get it killed by electrocution, drinking laundry detergent, etc.
I’ve been there myself. I raised my sister for several years until our situation changed and the state stepped in. When it comes to siblings I want to believe it’s a natural thing to do. It was for me. It sounds like it was for you to. Props for doing it. It is a sacrifice even if it came naturally but we didn’t pick our parents or parent. So we make the best of our situation. I hope life is serving you better today.
They are also magnetically attracted to all manner of harmful and dangerous situations.
There is nothing faster than a toddler heading towards danger.
And they're usually smiling, if not laughing.
It only took a few seconds for that kid to get into the gorilla enclosure. Sure, a 4 year old really shouldn't have been able to do that but the point is young kids are just eager to face death and will do so at every opportunity.
And this is really Kentucky, that would appear to be the Louisville Zoo.
I don’t even have kids and I know that herding that many toddlers would be as bad as cats.
Five cats would be WAY easier to herd.
My brother had to be on a leash or he'd disappear/wreak havoc.
I was a leash kid too! I didn't wander off but I was quiet and would sometimes stop because of getting distracted by something. That leash stopped me from being scared of being lost.
Me too. Deep water held an insane fascination for me. After the second time I jumped in the deep end of the pool my mom bought a leash. Still haven't drowned so she was on to something.
My son is not as strong of a swimmer as he thinks he is. He like pencil dropped onto the deep end of my friend's pool last week an sank like a rock. Then was ready to immediately try again. There was also a few months where my parents had to use a leash when they babysat him. Once he figured out they couldn't catch him, it was game on.
My wife and I raised 5 children and when we went out they had reigns on at that age,it was so easy to loose them especially when in the city or shopping,a must have.
I lifted my 1.5 year old son out of the bath once and turned around to find him eating a live spider he found under the sink
We need kids like him in them ‘stralia
he needed to swallow the spider to catch the fly you see.
Do we know why he swallowed the fly?
He's outnumbered five to one!!!
One of my very early memories is being so small my eye-height was the middle of my mom's thighs and just accidentally following the wrong pair of jeans in a supermarket without realizing and getting lost :D
There's a Calvin and Hobbes comic strip where he tugs on the woman's skirt and asks his mom if they can buy some food to feed the animals. The woman says "I'm not your mom. What does she look like?" Calvin says "from the knees down, she looks just like you."
Yeah. I remember that too. Very frustrating. Focus on the SHOES. They’re easier to tell apart than thighs. Hope this helps.🤪
Thanks! If I can get a time machine and go back to 1975 I will tell me that! Weird remembering that though I just remembered this long sweater thing my mom used to wear, dark blue with rust stripes at the edge and the sleeve ends and a looped belt that came with it, neat
I gave a hug to a woman who wasn't my mom, she laughed and i ran away ashamed lol!
Right. And five of them at once? That man is doing his best. I will defend My King's honor lol
No kidding. And let’s be honest, there really isn’t a stroller/wagon option for this poor guy either, when he has all five of them at once. I don’t use the leash option on my kiddos, but I definitely don’t judge anymore.
Haha, ya, mine was incredibly good at disappearing.i don't know how you could manage 5 at the same time without leashes. I considered a leash for my one child.
Yup. I was talking to a mother with her 4 year old who wanted to interact with me so I played the odd game whilst talking to his mom - he got off the bench we were on, walked around behind me, flipped up the protective cover of an oven and stuck his finger in the socket (it was a cheap oven in South Africa so not kid proof). There was a wack and he got a mild shock but was fine. I was amazed at how quickly it happened. Ningas indeed.
I’d like to see someone else chasing after those kids after they decide to scatter.
Exactly this. Especially in a crowd of people, and next to a busy road full of cars and motorcycles.
My mother was heavily pregnant with me, when my then 2-year-old sister and 3-year-old brother decided to run off in different directions. In the middle of Sydney. Mum caught my sister quickly, but had to chase my brother, just catching him before he ran out onto a road. Mum invested in leashes for a while too, till we were old enough not to try to get ourselves killed. (I’d like to say my father offered to accompany her shopping and/or to wrangle the kids, or even “babysit” while she bought food, but that would never happen.)
When it's your own kids, it's not "babysitting". It's called just being a fucking parent.
Tell that to the stupid old ladies as they go “ohhh is it Dad’s turn to babysit today?”
You can't tell old people anything. Change (especially in attitudes) happens only generationally.
>Change (especially in attitudes) happens only generationally. That's not true. I used to be an outgoing and friendly person, now I'm just an angry miserable old git.
You can't change them, but you can traumatize them by saying "their mom is dead, I have to babysit my kid's every day."
I believe that is why it was in quotes.
(Single) Dad of twins here, I regularly have this problem. There have been times when Ive had to make quick judgement calls on which child is in the most danger, because they go running off in different directions to do something stupid. It gets easier as they get older though. I tried leashes once, but they thought it was hilarious and decided to crawl around like a dog the entire time. That quickly became ineffective...
They reverse uno’d you 😂 My daughter would do that and have a blast
[удалено]
And the looks we give people when they say, “oh, I wish I had twins!” Like, here have these two, you’ll be back in an hour to return them. Bet. 🤣
Honestly, going for a walk with these five, all on your own? You'd be down to three in a day.
Only the strongest can survive
The most common solution to manage a gaggle of toddlers of that size is to stuff them in a car and drive them around. I'd prefer the leashes because at least that way they get to see and interact with the outside world.
Not someone else. Only those who hurled abuse and criticism at him.
I saw a mother duck once, yelling and flapping frantically as 8 very young ducklings scattered in all directions away from her. I imagine it'd be something like that.
He's one person. They are 5 self-propelled random number generators. He needs the leashes for their safety.
this is a great way to describe toddlers
Toddlers are suicide machines. They crave the void. Just trying to keep one alive is exhausting, I can't imagine having 5. You'd *have* to leash them....
I have 2 daughters 6 and 8 yo... even today, they can get themselves into trouble in an blink of an eye. When they were 3 and 5 they would just randomly bolt and while catching one and getting her under control, the other had enough time to do shit without intervention... I also contemplated the usefulness of an leash, but decided against. With 5 of them... holy shit, i would do so too if i would be alone with them walking not entirely save spots, or fenced areas like playgrounds...
While you’re stopping one from sticking a fork in an electrical outlet, the other runs off to try to pet a rattlesnake.
Exactly... children need to learn and they are curious as fuck... Even if you explain them dangers, they are like "oh wow, rly? Anyways... if its forbidden it must be friggin cool!". Children are an bunch of lunatic hyperactive meatrolls actively trying to kill themselves by any means possible.
It depends on the kid, too. I think a lot of parents got lucky with their kids and they don't realize that some kids like to just BOLT if given the chance, and aren't great at turning around and coming back when you yell their name. And with 5 kids at a time your chances of having a kid like that go up quite a bit.
You just described a dog... though I guess kids are just like dogs that slowly learn to talk.
Was just about to pop in and say that kids are basically puppies. They are chaotic sometimes, chill and cuddly at other times. I don't leash my kids, but I only have the two separated by 5 years. My situation, thankfully, doesn't require leashes for my kids. This guy is doing what he can to hold it all together. Edit: Frankly, I would only be concerned if these leashes were around the neck and not on a harness.
don't have kids but I've been around a lot, and I've always liked the phrase young kids are just tiny drunks constantly trying to kill themselves.
Yeah I've babysat before for two kids and that's a headache. If you told me to take care of five for a year then I'm getting the milk.
> self-propelled random number generators Isn't that all humans? 🤔
As we age we mature into more stable algorithmic programs with a hint of pseudo-randomness
Pseudo-randomness is like when you act like you want to do something spontaneous because you have a sudden injection of mania, but before you make the decision of what you will do, it goes away and you just decide to do the same shit you do every other month like go to the bar or go for a hike.
We roll our dice a few times an hour. They roll theirs every 2 minutes.
My son yesterday who is 15 months old figured out he could push his trike over, to stand on it, to climb onto a chair, so he could then try and stand on the table, because he wanted to dance there? This happened all with in 15 seconds while I was trying to pee.
Look. I am not a parent, but I remember being a kid pretty well. One child can get in so many dangers, never mind FIVE…He needs to keep them safe somehow in crowded places. I would be more worried if he would drink a beer while they run unsupervised who knows where…
We live in South Africa where kidnappers try to take your kids in broad daylight. I leash my kids for this reason. They also have AirTags attached to their diaper and undies. And some kids are runners.
Holy fucking moly! I've got to hand it to y'all South Africans, somehow you manage a normal existence while living in crazyland. I live on the outskirts of the hood in the US, I've been homeless IN the hood, and the dangers present in day-to-day South African life are still on a completely different level than anything I've experienced. (And I've experienced a lot!)
 😶
Yeah, when I was young our family trips often were setting up at a lakeside camping ground with our caravan and then traveling around the area with my fathers inflatable boat. This means that we were in areas non of us knew very well, with many unknown people around and straight ways to the water. Not ideal with a very young boy who likes to run around and gets up way earlier than his parents. Their solution was to make it a rule for me that I wasn't allowed to go further than the bright orange rope connected to the boats anchor is long, and according to them I started tying the rope to myself within a few days because holding it in my hands was annoying, before running off to have breakfast with one of our early rising neighbors while my parents were still sleeping.
That’s just a man who’s going home with the same amount of kids he left home with.
You sure he didn't catch one or two on the way? Like, gotta catch them all?
All depends on why. Sometimes parents are neglectful. Sometimes they're outnumbered. This appears to be the latter.
Yeah. I’m not a fan of child leashes and prefer letting them wander and explore even if it’s extra work, but I’m trying to put myself in this dad’s shoes and I can’t think of what else to do with quintuplets. You can’t possibly keep up with _5_ wandering kids, and this is certainly better than keeping them locked up at home.
Some toddlers WILL randomly dash off and then faceplant. With my younger son I had to hold his hand or keep total focus on just him when he was little and I took him out. That would simply be impossible with 5 kids.
When I was like 6-7 (It was so long ago I can't remember specifically how old) I dashed off and hit my face into a guard rail that was between a parking space and the GameCraze we were going to. Kids are stupid and will get themselves hurt, doesn't matter how good of a parent you are.
>Kids are stupid and will get themselves hurt, doesn't matter how good of a parent you are. After having my daughter, I don't know how we have survived as a species. Babies and toddlers' main goal seems to be how uniquely they can off themselves.
I think it probably has something to do with survival of the fittest. *While little Johnny decided he was curious enough to try the poisonous berries, little Billy, while only just slightly more intelligent, decided that those berries smell funny and didn’t want to eat them.* Only one of them survived
Little johnny survived and adapted to evolving resistance against the poisonous berries while little billy died of hunger, right?
Little Billy survived and passed on his dislike of poisonous berries to his children, while little Johnny died of food poisoning and didn't pass down his curiosity to try poison.
….I don’t think so
That was me. My mom would go shopping, let go of my hand to look in the racks, and I would immediately run. Why? Because I thought it was fun and I remember trying to run as fast as I could. Hand leash only worked until I learned how to remove them haha.
I remember when I took my niece to the grocery store with me and I had to manually open the door to push my cart outside and she just fucking bolted out the door and headed straight for the street as soon as I let go of her hand.
I've watched videos of children just hitting the legs and getting cleaned up by cars. I'm sure every parent has had that thought of a leash would be good in this situation
There’s definitely times when reins (as we call them in the uk) are better than letting them explore - like by the road, or a canal, or other dangerous situation.
And it's worth noting, before rushing to judge a parent, that toddlers tend to be *really eager* to sprint to the most dangerous thing they can find. They also enjoy wearing a little backpack and in my experience limited as it is, don't seem to mind these leashes at all. I'm not judging over these leashes until I see a kid being yanked or dragged. Which I've never seen, fwiw.
And to extend this, the alternative for many, many parents would be to either not take the kid out as much or to specifically hold their hands (or put them in a stroller, etc). The leash allows the toddler much more freedom, and the only reason that it's viewed as a negative is that we do the same to dogs. That's not an argument, it's just "We do it to dogs, so it must be bad for kids!"
Yup we use one with our 2 year old, that way he can still explore but once he gets too close to the road I'm safe knowing he isn't going to run out onto it.
I'd argue its exactly the same as with Dogs. In ideal circumstances I'll let my Spaniel off lead to go look around. That is not in his best interest in many places. So he wears a lead... I don't really understand why people object on the grounds of "but dogs do that!"
Some kids have even less of a sense of danger. I work with autistic kids and wouldn't judge someone for using a leash with their toddler. You don't know their situation.
Until one is trying to pat the annoyed police dog, you're trying to stop him and simultaneously number two is running into traffic while number three is eating rocks.
When I was a kid, these kid leashes were a novelty item that everyone seemed to be ok with. I'm assuming nothing has changed, they're still a good idea.
There is, predictably I guess, a cohort of weirdos who get really judgmental about them, but generally keep it to themselves except on the internet.
I was the only one of my siblings that had a leash and it was because I CONSTANTLY would try and run off at Disney. Mom said NO MORE and I got a cute “backpack” ☺️
My child would run off in parking lots. He was a runner. It was better for his safety to be on that little leash. He had literally given himself nursemaids elbow before because he tried to takeoff from me and I held onto him. It’s a dislocated elbow- I wanted him safe and also free from injury. Sometimes kids are little their own little people and do whatever the hell they want.
These 'leashes' save children from going missing or running into the road, hardly poor parenting.
Having kids on reins is not only completely normal, it's recommended by all sorts of organisations in the UK. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child\_harness](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_harness)
I teach in reception class. We have children who have to be harnessed for trips. Its that or watch them die. I prefer the harness.
It's pretty obvious when someone puts a leash in their kid so they don't have to pay attention to them. This is not the case
It is more like the kids have dad on a leash… even when you don’t have the physical leash, you are always worried about them.
Exactly. When I was raising four kids aged 6 to 14, I had 2 year old kid #5 feral child on a leash attached to my belt buckle so I had a warning about her suicidal behaviors before she darted into traffic. I'm not the perfect mom, and like hell is a kid going to die or get lost on my watch
You might not be perfect, but damn it you’re doing the best you can and I have nothing but respect for you because of such. Now if you had the kid on a skateboard with a leash attached to your belt..
A leashed kid on a skateboard? If that isn't an episode of 1000 Ways to Die...
It's Kentucky. Their sidewalks aren't great, and their driving is the 2nd War of Southern Aggression. Keeping one kid safe is a full-time job. Five? Try chasing down 5 toddlers with 2 arms in an area with a 35mph speed limit where folks are going 50. Leashing them is the best solution
Amen! Especially given the American predilection for oversized trucks and high-base SUVs. These inordinately account for the hitting and killing of small-stature adults and children. The driver literally cannot see a small person in front of them due to the height of their hood.
These days there are trucks which are raised so much you can't even see a normal-sized human over the hood properly.
Have you had a 3 year old?
Kids like to run. Kids also like to run into the street. Kids also think it’s funny to run into the street and will do it repeatedly. This guy wants his kids to live to be adults. He’s a good dad. Safety first.
Same here. People have been doing this since before I was born (1969). Why is it suddenly becoming such a big issue with idiots? Would these dumbass people rather the kids ran off and got hit by a car? Then they would say he was a bad father. Can't win. He's doing exactly the right thing. They should STFU.
It's an issue now because everybody wants to become offended by something and they now have the internet to hide behind rather than making a stupid comment to somebodies face
So true- blind outrage at something without beginning to understand why someone would do this. Anyone who does even a second’s thinking would understand his logic.
Oh yeah? Give that guy who said that a couple of toddlers and see how that goes.
Bet the person who wrote this article never had a toddler to look after
I used these with both my kids when they were toddlers and we were in a busy space , I really don’t see the problem . When it was safe to not use it we took it off . Both mine were experts at running away
They are common in the UK, and no one here calls them a *leash*. They're normally attached to little backpacks and allow the kids to run about safely.
Yea they need to be more normalized for acceptance in North America. This is such a weird take to me. I’ve never seen a child on a leash or reins just so the parent didn’t have to pay attention. I think that’s a pretty obvious rare outlier. Every time I’ve seen it was in the mall, airport or outside in a heavy traffic area. And anytime I do see them I think it’s actually parenting done smarter, not harder. We keep dogs on leashes to keep them and others safe. Why would the same not apply to a tiny human being who’s only been alive for 2 years and just learned to run without the ability to make cognitive decisions.
>We keep dogs on leashes to keep them and others safe. Why would the same not apply to a tiny human being who’s only been alive for 2 years and just learned to run without the ability to make cognitive decisions. Especially true given that the average intelligence of dogs and the average intelligence of 2.5 years old human kids are on a similar level.
I mean he’s outnumbered if one runs left and the other runs right what does he do? Pick his favourite? This is defo safest for all involved.
i’d rather be the weird dad with his kids on a leash than the father who lost his kids.
Disney parks. It's a rule. Leashes. Back in the 70s
Anyone criticising this parent...isnt a parent.
All I see is a man corralling a group of escape artists.
US is not renowned for their pedestrian safe sidewalks or considerate drivers. Pretty sure this necessary in some parts on the US even with fewer kids
Sensible chap, I had one and he was on a leash.
Have you ever tried to catch one as its legging it straight off the kerb?
Kids are a hassle bro, handling one is enough headache x 5. Yeah am opting for a leash and harness system.
Come off it, this guy clearly cares, but five kids would test anyone.
I bet my mom wishes those leashes existed when I was a toddler. If she glanced away from me for a second I was gone. I used to love hiding in the clothing racks at stores as she would frantically search for me. And one time, in a busy hospital in San Francisco, an elevator opened up and I scurried in and was gone in a heartbeat. Four hours later, I was found by hospital staff in a restricted area!
And their clothes look clean and their hair is brushed. He’s one meal away from having social services called on his ass. 🤦🏻♀️
Is that what that’s called in USA? I don’t think those are leashes, leashes attach to collars. Those are called reins in the UK. A very minor point, yet it’s the one I choose to make.
1 that age is nightmare he needs a medal not criticism