Leashing Your Toddler Is Now Socially Acceptable…Really? (and other stuff)

I used to wince when I saw a child on a leash. I thought, “Now there’s an awful parent,” treating their kid like a pet.  I saw a kid on a leash about a month ago at the airport and for some reason, it seemed more acceptable to me, in this crazy world we live in.  They can’t stray, it was attached to the kids backpack and all seemed ok to me.  I actually smiled because the kid was happy.

The first time you saw this, you thought it was weird.  But it’s definitely become a thing:  A new poll found putting your toddler on a LEASH is now socially acceptable.  48% of Americans say it’s fine, compared to 34% who don’t think it’s okay.  The other 17% weren’t sure, or didn’t have an opinion.

Here are a few more questions about babies, and how people answered . . .

1.  Would you rather have a boy or a girl?  19% said boy . . . 15% said girl . . . and 54% said no preference.  Men were more likely to say a boy.

2.  What color would you paint your baby’s room?  The top answers for baby girls were pink, purple, and white.  For boys, blue, white, and green.

3.  Would you rather give birth in a hospital, or at home?  12% of women said home birth, and another 8% said no preference.  So one in five would be up for it.

4.  Disposable diapers or cloth?  Only 14% said cloth, but another 23% said they’d use both.  So that means 37% would use at least some cloth diapers.

5.  Is it okay to post photos and videos of your baby on social media?  39% said no, don’t do it.

6.  Is it okay to entertain a baby with your smartphone?  52% said no . . . 16% aren’t sure . . . and 31% said sure, whatever you need to do.

7.  Is it okay to pierce your baby’s ears?  36% said yes.  That includes 44% of women and 26% of men.

8.  At what age is a kid no longer a “baby”?  Most agreed it’s somewhere between one and three years old.  The #1 answer was 18 months to two years.

Not everyone agrees though:  11% said even four-year-olds are still “babies.”  And on the flip-side, 3% said FOUR MONTHS is the cut-off.

(YouGov)