Should you put a leash on your child when you're out in public? It's a divisive question, as Redditor Decawys learned when they asked the online community: "Kids whose parents used to put them on leashes, how are you doing today?"
"My older brother was abducted..."
My older brother was abducted in a mall when he was a toddler (not for long but long enough). It was a split second, my dad turned around and a lady grabbed him and walked away.
My dad put me on a leash in very busy places. I don't really see the big deal, I got to walk freely and he didn't have to worry about that split second.
To answer your question, I'm doing well!
"I once asked a parent..."
I once asked a parent why he was doing this, his son had severe ADHD.
He told me that he liked better to look like a dumbass with a son on a leash than having a dead son in the middle of the road.
I've never asked this question again and I will never ask it again either.
"I was put in one of those..."
GiphyI was put in one of those harness things because I ran off and caught a pigeon.
I only try to catch them now.
"I didn't use a leash on my kid..."
I didn't use a leash on my kid, but my sister did on her youngest. The kid is bright and sweet, but she has ADHD and can't seem so stay on track for more than a minute. Since she was growing up in a highly congested German city, I'd say the leash may have kept her from being run over and killed. So she's doing ok.
"I had 2 older brothers..."
I'm over 50 but I seem alright.
I had 2 older brothers and one younger by only 18 months. My mom did the best she could. From when I just started to walk we lived in a house with no fence and beyond the yard was the train tracks. I had a harness with a long tether in the middle of my back. My mom would attach the tether to the clothes line and I could run around in our yard and my mom could look out at me from the back windows and do house work and care for my little brother. I was safe but still got to run around in fresh air.
"My mom attached an actual dog chain..."
My mom attached an actual dog chain to my brothers pants when he was about 3 years old. We lived in the country, and he was a runner. He could've been lost in the woods in a matter of minutes. It's funny to think about, my little brother, "chained up" in front of our trailer in the woods, but it gave him freedom to be outside without getting himself lost, or seriously injured or killed. And to answer OP's question, my brother is awesome. Educated, intelligent, productive, enlightened. Truly a stand-up guy with a normal, loving relationship with his mom.
"Just as adventurous..."
Just as adventurous as i used to be..
Little me would literally jump off a mountain to see what is down below.
My parents HAD to put me on a leash if we were going out until i was like 4.
"I was on a leash..."
I was on a leash when I was really little. One time we were out at the mall and I was on my leash and some woman came up to us to shame my parents, saying "How terrible, just like a dog!" So naturally I got down on all fours and started barking at her. Totally shocked her and gave my parents a big laugh.
I'm doing great today (and tbh I needed to be on that leash bc I would just go up to strangers in public and hug them/completely disappear in crowded places - it probably kept me from getting kidnapped lol).
"Fine."
Fine. I really don't understand why people think it's such a big deal. I got to run around feeling all independent like, and mum didn't develop chronic anxiety from my constant attempts to run into traffic. 10/10.
"My dad tried one of those out with me..."
My dad tried one of those out with me while I was learning to ski. It worked great until I went out to its fullest length and another kid skied between us and got clotheslined by it. We didn't use it after that.
"I was a wanderer."
GiphyI was a wanderer. They got the leash/harness after I disappeared in a hardware store and they basically had to call a Code Adam. Turns out I was hiding in the sample kitchen cabinets, but one heart attack was enough for them.
I'm now a (mostly) functional adult who never stepped into traffic or got kidnapped. I would highly recommend it to anyone with a kid who's prone to wandering off.
"When I was 3..."
When I was 3, I walked into the men's bathroom (I'm a girl) at a train station. Apparently there was a serial killer/kidnapper abducting young girls at the time. I was found safe, but absolutely leashed after that. I didn't mind at all though. I remember thinking it was cool that mommy and I were connected with matching Big Bird bracelets (it was a velcro wrist leash).
"When I was a toddler..."
When I was a toddler there was the case of James Bulger, a kid that was abused and murdered by some teens after he wandered off when his mum was paying for something in a shop.
All of us kids regardless of behaviour got put on leashes, all of us were fine.
"Toddlers can't help..."
Just fine because my mom kept my dumb@ss from running into traffic or getting lost.
Toddlers can't help being dumb as f*ck; they haven't learned yet. I have zero issue with my parents walking me like a dog because I wasn't much smarter than one at the time.
"All my life..."
All my life, I have teased my younger sister about "You had to have a leash!!!" It was actually a harness, pink. I am over 50, and I can still clearly remember what it looked like.
About 5 years ago, my mom heard me make a teasing comment and turned around and said, she never wore the harness, only you did. Seriously, you know your sister never liked to walk from babyhood (foot problems). Why would you think she would ever run out in traffic? You were the one I couldn't catch.
I was horrified. Clearly, I was in denial for decades.
I'm fine now. Profoundly embarrassed that I randomly teased my sister for 40 years about it though, when it was actually me wearing it.
This actually a gift of mine, or a curse, depending on how you look at it. I can lose interest in the snap of a finger.
Oh Hell No!
dogs biting GIFGiphy"She not only didn't like my dog but was rude and smacked my dog."
APatchInMyHat
Lukewarm
"Hot and cold behavior."
Jazzymousee
"SO MUCH THIS! Why do people do that? I’m a guy going through that right now with a woman that I fell for… and it sucks."
Bearoused
"Man... I just broke up with a girl who accused me of this too many times. The first time was shortly after our first date and I was like 'WTF?'"
"'We've talked every day including this morning and have another date set later this week.' The last time she said I was icing her out, but I had already told her I was stressing about some unrelated issues that I had already talked to her about a few times."
Nailbomb85
Cheaters
"That she cheated on everyone she had ever been with."
MetalMikeJr
"I had cheated on everyone I was with before I got sober. I have never cheated since (15 years) - I completely changed my entire lifestyle."
"I would never cheat again, I was a different person then, young, dumb, and loaded all the time making horrible decisions. Since getting sober, I’ve had 3 long term relationships that all ended for other things I have issues with. Haha. But not cheating! But I agree - most situations - would not be like this."
mansonsmom
It was weird...
"When I realized she had to take her bestie literally everywhere. It was weird. We would hang out and she would come. We'd go on a date and she'd come. We'd go to a movie and she would either come or be texting her the entire time. Every night she would just come over and watch TV with us. It really got old."
"We are still friends on Facebook. My old crush is married now and I see all these pictures of her and her husband in Greece, Paris, Safaris in Africa, and you guessed it, the 3rd wheel is in all the pictures."
Firebolt164
Just Cuz
Seth Meyers Lol GIF by Late Night with Seth MeyersGiphy“'I dump people to feel something' nah no way."
Obvious-Tangerine180
"Recently was seeing a girl that had a family emergency in her life. She decided to end things with us because she felt destructive and wanted to feel in control."
FortKnoxEnthusiast
Some people really need deeper therapy sessions before they get into relationships.
Rude
Tv Show Reaction GIF by The Daily Show with Trevor NoahGiphy"Asked her on a date, said yes. Ghosted me."
justdeletethisquik
6 Months In...
"Guy still flirted with other girls after expressing interest in me and let them sit on his lap. I ended it before it even really began. A year later he asked if I wanted to fool around. I said no. About a month after that I saw he had a girlfriend when she tagged him in a FB post saying 'happy 6 month anniversary.'"
BadgeringMagpie
The Way We See It
"Mutual codependency. I had a friend that I genuinely didn't notice a problem until I was pregnant and my daughter's father mentioned that she wouldn't be in the room for the birth. That never occurred to me. And then I was thinking of my life and how she was there for like everything. Had to set up some boundaries. She didn't like that and eventually cut herself from my life. She doesn't see it that way."
IreallEwannasay
Fool
"She cheated on her bf on an international trip. He was a cool dude, felt bad for him on that one. I haven't spoken to her in years."
Legitimate_Pirate249
"Similar thing happened to me too, I liked a guy who had a girlfriend at the time (I realise this sounds bad, I couldn’t help having a crush on him but I never would’ve acted on it). Anyways he was on an international school trip with us and he was cheating on his girlfriend the whole week. Instantly couldn’t even stand the sight of him."
Keidis-mcdaddy
Instant
red flag GIF by Steve Harvey TVGiphy"'I'm not allowed to work with children' instant red flag."
potatorevolver
Follow the clues. Read the signs. Never be afraid to run.
That doesn't mean we should refrain from indulging every now and then in spending money on the things we really want.
But sometimes, the things we thought we really desired in our heart of hearts turn out to be impulsive purchases on things–like new clothes we never end up wearing despite looking great on us when we tried them on in the dressing room.
That is an example of buyer's remorse. And we have paid the price, so to speak, for spending frivolously on inconsequential things.
Curious to hear from previous customers of having a moment of regret, Redditor pepperpeppington asked:
"What is your greatest buyers remorse?"
The concept seemed legit, but these customers realized they had a lot to learn after committing to new prospects.
The Wrong Perspective
"Got talked into buying progressive lens glasses. I spend most of my day either reading, writing, or staring at a computer screen. With the new glasses I could only read things if it was in one particular spot in front of me or if I tilted my head to an odd angle. Hundreds of dollars down the drain. Ended up going back to buy reading glasses and they worked better than the progressives ever did."
– tangcameo
Learning About Credit The Hard Way
"Back in the late 90’s when I was just graduating high school, I went to the mall one day (Lazarus to be exact, I know, I’m old) and some salesperson walked up wanting to know if I wanted a credit card. $500 max to be exact. Being the naive dumbass I was, I signed and got my card that day and bought $500 worth of clothing."
"It didn’t occur to me then about high interest rates and missing payments. It ended up costing me around $1500-$2000 to pay this sh*t off because I missed some payments. Teach your kids how to manage money and to be on the lookout for vultures. You’ll be doing them a favor."
– 1980pzx
That Sinking Feeling
"A Leesa mattress. I was super happy with it when we first got it because it was SO comfortable, but after a year it started sinking, and after three years I feel like I wake up in a trough every morning. I definitely need to get a new mattress because my back feels so much better any time we sleep on hotel beds."
"It's pissing me off that it only lasted three years but I've rotated that f'ker so many times that there's a trough in every direction. And it's still so comfortable when I first lie down, too."
– Tagracat
Electrical appliances and cars are essential, but these Redditors wanted the best of the best and thought the high price tag instantly made things better.
Spoiler alert–it didn't.
Fancy Fridge
"Latest remorseful purchase was my ~$2k GE refrigerator. It lasted 2.5 years and was too expensive to repair. It would have been 1,200 to fix it and even then the repair guy couldn't guarantee that it would work properly."
"I found a 'scratch and dent' Whirlpool for the same cost, brand new. So far, so good."
"ETA: before this, I've never had issues with GE appliances. This is either a fluke, or the brand is deteriorating."
– ohgeebus_notagain
Auto Disaster
"An Audi Q5 hybrid. We had a decent warranty so we thought we were okay. $6000 in repairs in one year of owning it. We traded it in and got upside down on a new car, but it was worth it to get out of that dumpster fire of a car."
– Hdhmusic
Going Nowhere Fast
"Dumping 10 grand into a car worth 7k just because I wanted to make it faster. I still have the car and I love it, but that was not a smart financial decision, and I wouldn't do it again."
– Cuss-Mustard
People didn't put any thought into these purchases and instantly regretted it.
It Didn't Compute
"My last laptop. I didn't really research properly, cheaped out and have spent the last three years regretting it."
– NarrativeScorpion
Hard To Swallow
"I went to a burger place near Brisbane in Australia with my brother. They advertised that they had the 'hottest burgers' in the world and if you could finish, they put your name on the wall. I started to realise my mistake when the burger came out with latex gloves and a huge glass of milk. By the 2nd bite, i felt my soul start to detach from my body and my brain was recoiling in horror as pure lava was going down my throat. Halfway through, while trying to stop the tears flowing down my face, I said no more. For days after the burger my intestines couldn't handle anything stronger then yoghurt and the pain started again everytime I went to the toilet."
– shadownight311
Taking A Stab At It
"A 400$ dagger back in 2002.. still have it, never knew what to do with it."
– Quebec00Chaos
Went With The Flow
"A kayak that never gets used. Spent over 1 year's allowance (200$) on that thing."
– Mad4dog
Just A Stick
"buying a harry potter style wand at age 9 thinking it would actually work. it was hella expensive too."
– beheadedcharmander
Such A Waste
"Squatty Potty. What the f'k was I thinking? I could've just used a box, or literally stacked some books on top of each other, but to be fair I was pretty desperate."
– RazzmatazzLiving6970
So I saw the coolest leather jacket at a thrift store. Because I was so enamored of it–and the size was a perfect fit–I bought it there on the spot, no refunds.
I was thrilled about the prospect of looking like a greaser (because that's so my style...not), I realized I wouldn't be wearing it for a while considering L.A.'s blistering summer temperatures. Sadly, by the time temperatures cool down, I'll have forgotten all about it.
It will remain in my closet along with my other outfits I haven't worn in ages.
Careful spending money on too many clothes. You'll wind up donating them to a thrift store where another sucker like me will make an impulsive purchase.
Whether it's cuddling with a pet who adores you no matter what kind of day you're having, or sharing some cheesecake with old friends in the kitchen, we must not forget to revisit the things that bring us peace in a chaotic world.
Curious to hear what strangers online consider calming, Redditor subornion asked:
"What are some VERY comforting facts?"
In moments of reclusiveness, knowing we share the planet with other species can be a source of relief.
When Talking To Rabbits
"You can talk to your pet rabbit by quickly pushing your lips downwards and upwards as if you were trying to look up your nose in a mirror. Do it quickly and you're chatting. It mimics the nose movements they make and you can see them wiggle their noses faster out of interest. Copy their rhythm to and watch them talk back."
"Also, stomping your foot like they do as well as turning your back on them when annoyed is understood too. If they have chewed something they shouldn't have you can stomp one foot and turn around with your arms folded. Have a look over your shoulder to make sure they see you. They should come to check on you and if they don't stomp and make sure they see your back is turned. Eventually they get it and come over to make sure your ok. Then let the nose waggling commence."
"You can expect them to do the same to you as well, like when you clean their enclosure."
– B3ARDGOD
Wonders Of Evolution
"The North Pacific humpback whale population is estimated to be 15x greater then it was 60 years ago."
– horticultured-harlot
Hey, Lovebug
"I once found a ladybug in my room in the middle of winter. I tried to look up if I could feed it somehow, and found countless other people asking the same question."
"The world is full of people who have compassion enough to feed a lone bug in the winter."
– virora
Our Feathered Friends
"Crows will let other crows know if you’re a good person. Feeding a crow in your backyard can quickly become many crows over time since the rumour spreads. And nearby crows in your area will know you as one they like. They can also be known to be protective of you and even bring you gifts. Sufficed to say, crows are one of the most intelligent creatures on the planet and they are truly underrated."
– BaldEagleNor
People share wisdom pertaining to your health, well-being and healing.
You Will Come Out Of It
"Nurse here."
"If you're having a general anaesthetic for a routine operation, and worried about dying while under, please be aware there are about 7 different 'levels' of stuff we can do to bring you back."
"So if the thing we normally do doesn't work, we've got plan B, then we've got plans C, D, E, F, G& H. ( and we rarely need to even go to Plan C, let alone the rest!)"
"It's ridiculously rare for you to never wake up from a routine op, of course it happens occasionally, but for every case you've heard about it happening, there's THOUSANDS of identical operations where it didn't. I've been qualified 15 years and it's literally never happened anywhere I've worked."
– Icy-Revolution1706
Wonders Of Medicine
"A middle or even low income people in developed countries are living a much more comfortable life than the richest people centuries or even millennia ago, in large part thanks to modern medicine making death from a mere infection no longer a near guaranteed death."
– Beat_Saber_Music
There's Still Time To Ditch Bad Habits
"If you quit smoking by age 40, your life expectancy is the same as a non-smoker."
"Also: it's never too late to quit."
– TheRuinedMap
A Good Investment
"Switzerland has implemented a scheme ‘Time Bank’; which is an old-age assistance programme, under which, people can volunteer to look after the elderly who require assistance, and then, the number of hours they spend with or caring for seniors gets deposited in their individual social security account. Eventually, when the volunteer reaches that old age when he or she requires support, this ‘Time Bank’ can help them by providing time-based services which include consultations, babysitting, hairdressing, gardening, tutoring, or any other time-consuming job in addition to being looked after by a volunteer as well. About 34 countries are trying to apply this scheme."
"Very Wholesome and humane!"
– ek_su_as
It's the little things that can be uplifting when we're feeling low.
Best Neighbor Ever
"All of the cardigans Mister Rogers wore on camera were knit by his mother."
– vgvvhvhjvvb
Tough Allies
"There is a group of bikers called bikers against child abuse who support child abuse victims in court by looking tough and giving the kids confidence to testify against their abusers it’s actually an international group."
– buffkirby
Intersteller Protector
"Jupiter has been protecting earth from almost every stray asteroid strike coming in from out of the solar system since the planets first formed."
– PirateKilt
On The Mend
"The ozone layer is slowly repairing itself."
– BetterthanMew
When I found out that pets will forgive you when you step on them, not only did that factoid bring much joy, it also made me wonder why people aren't as capable of letting minor grievances roll off their backs.
Animals are much more intellectual than we give them credit for. And knowing that my future Siberian Husky will always have my back no matter what makes me sleep at night.
'Til the day I become a Husky daddy, I'll be thinking of that to bring me a sense of calm in any kind of storm.
