That, and streets are deadly hellscapes over there a lot of the time. Driving laws are barely enforced and infrastructure is almost like it's intended to kill anyone who dares to exist outside a car.

Your American mum bringing a leash over and using it on you somewhere in Europe 51 years ago hardly makes me wrong on all fronts.

It's fuckin wild. I used to manage a toys department in an American burger big box store in a small town so I saw some shit. It's either parents with kids on leashes or threatening them or hitting them in the aisle, my fellow Americans often treat their kids like shit, the image of the overindulgent parent isn't really what you see around. Kids get treated like this and grow up to be adults who don't break the cycle.

I am not referring to a string you hold, I am referring to a leash like this:

I find them dehumanizing and humiliating because they remind me of a dog leash. Look, people parent differently across the world, I remember a British-Indian comedian who was married to a Dane who said that every parenting practice she regarded as healthy and appropriate was basically illegal in Denmark.

The leash will never not be weird to me, but it is what it is. I don't think everyone who uses a leash is literally going to treat their kid like a dog, I know they probably love and cherish their kids like I cherish mine, but the fact remains that it feels off to me and I'd say most other people from my neck of the woods.

Me and my sister definitely had them in the early 80s. Kids are stupid, and the alternative is you strap them in a buggy if they can't be trusted to walk.

In the '80s and earlier, corporal punishment was regular and expected. There was a push in the '90s to stop the corporal punishment.

Corporeal punishment was outlawed in Denmark by 1997, but was definitely frowned upon much earlier than that. My grandparent's generation - born in the 1920s and 1930s - was likely the last generation where it was commonly used.

I mean, our kids can be little brats as well - and our kids are also prone to run off and do dumb stuff, but apparently we handle it differently. And I am fairly certain that my initial reaction - that it's dehumanizing and humiliating - is how it comes off to almost all Nordic parents.

In fairness, that's why I feel like getting a leash.

Plus the oldest is 13 and at least she's responsible enough for us to look away for a few minutes and she will still be there.

The last one wouldn't look both ways before crossing a street...

Oh completely 100% agreed, and neglect isn't the only form of child abuse going on but CPS has visited them plenty of times and interviewed all the kids and neighbors (before we moved in) over custody battles with some adopted ones. (they're all related, long story with too many identifying details but some parents died and all the children are cousins and siblings) so they at least aren't doing anything that CPS cares about.

But holy shit I have never wanted to curb stomp my sister in law a-la American History X more than when I went over one day and I could hear screaming halfway down the 1/4mi driveway, and when I walked in she was in the 6 year Olds face screaming at the top of her lungs about how she's tired of telling the 6 year old to put her shoes away, four of the kids were slowly doing chores in the living room and kitchen with tears running down their faces, and I could hear the 13 year old sobbing upstairs. Their mother screamed so hard and long that she burst a blood vessel in her eye and detached the retina. As usual though the moment she saw me she stopped and pretended like she wasn't doing anything.

Since then I've had my phone on record in my pocket whenever I'm coming over unannounced just in case I can catch it. Bare minimum it will be something to show the courts when one of the kids becomes a serial killer.

Their dad is no help, he's an enabler and honestly a broken shell of a person when it comes to his wife.

Grandparents are worse than parents.

My wife watches them whenever she can, and takes them on surprise day trips to get away from their parents and some of the siblings when possible but holy shit they do not make it easy to take them anywhere.

I don't regret marrying my wife but I can honestly say my in-laws are insane and anyone could understand why I hate them.

Uhhhhhhh what was the topic again? Sorry for the vent.

The leash was fine.

The choke chain really had an effect though.

I don't remember it at all. I have ADHD which may be related to why they got me a leash.

I'm more curious if they have a leash for the bedroom.