[blparent] blparent resorce list leashes

Tue May 29 23:21:09 UTC 2012

Awesome post, Shannan.  Eat the fish and spit out the bones.  I really like 
that philosophy, and it works well for this list.  Take what helps you, toss 
out the rest.

The other reason I think you wrote a great post is that there are a lot of 
"I will never" statements we all make before we have kids.  But never is a 
big word, and we've all broken those statements, eaten crow, or sometimes 
just changed our minds.

I will never use the TV as a baby-sitter.  Okay, I don't make a habit of it, 
but there have been times I was busy putting away groceries or fixing 
dinner, or I was just flat worn out, and I popped in a video I knew would 
get my daughter occupied so I could do what I had to do.

I will never resort to bribery or use food as a reward.  Okay, again, I 
don't make a habit of it.  But when I was shopping for Sarah's birthday 
party, and everybody else in the free world happened to be at the King 
Sooper's store where I ordered the cake, and I was stuck in line behind some 
chick who must have been buying for a family of seventeen--seriously, she 
had two shopping carts loaded to the gills--I took a bag of M&M's from the 
cash register display, tore off the part with the bar code so I could pay 
for them, and gave them to Sarah so she wouldn't keep yelling that she 
wanted out of the cart.  There are certain occasions when bribery is a 
perfectly acceptable form of negotiation.

I guess what I'm trying to say, in a lighthearted way, is, keep an open 
mind.  The leash, or tether, or harness, or whatever else you want to call 
it, is one trick in your bag.  You may think you'll never use it, but it 
doesn't hurt to realize the option is available if circumstances change, or 
if your child gets older and more mobile and you change your mind.  And when 
you see other parents using it, give them the benefit of the doubt.  They're 
not cruel.  They're not treating their children like animals.  They're good 
parents like you who are doing the best they can to keep their children safe 
and raise them well.

Jo Elizabeth

"A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a 
song."  Maya Angelou

--------------------------------------------------
From: "Shannan Zinck" <shannanzinck at gmail.com>
Sent: Tuesday, May 29, 2012 4:56 PM
To: <blparent at nfbnet.org>
Subject: [blparent] blparent resorce list leashes

> When my husband and I decided to adopt we felt the same way as you
> especially since my husband had a cusin who was tied up like a dog as a
> child neck collar and all, Cruel I know. Well we fought it and even agreed
> for the sake of the adoption to use one however if at all possible we
> wearn't going to. Well when our child hit a certain age, coupled with the
> fact that he is a little hyper and random we quickly realized either we
> were  going to use a leash or our child was going to hurt himself. I,m not
> arguing here just painting a realistic picture of what many parents face.
> What we did was got a harness that was a little horse and the tail is the
> leash. I still have trouble with the idea of using anything meant for a 
> dog
> on a child but, I also know that a parent needs to do what it takes to 
> keep
> their baby safe, We got a locator because my husband wants the option of
> taking my son outside without having to worry about wether he can find him
> or not. My son is very good at being sneaky. He can get all the way to our
> kitchen from his bedroom without us hearing a thing and we have wood 
> floors
> in an echoey house. In our case we struggled with it but knew in order to
> keep him safe we had to do this. Maybe you will be blessed with a child 
> who
> doesn't go random on you and run off, I hope that's the case. But for us
> that's just not the way it's going to be. My motto in life is eat the fish
> and spit out the bones, what your comfortable with if fine for you but
> realize that every situation is very different and A of us here are doing
> the best we can to raise our children. I thought you could make a child
> mind once apon a time but, now I am wise to the fact that they do have to
> learn and with learning comes bumps and bruises along the way. Your baby 
> is
> young discuss the leash isssue when your little one is running around like
> mad and you don't know quite for sure where he is. And this will happen to
> you at least once I assure you. I just wanted to encourage you to be open
> minded and understanding of others situations, You may never need gadgets
> like this but, try to understand those of us that do.
>
> -- 
> Shannan Zinck
> Survival is letting GOD take over!!!
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