Later that same day, the comments from the stranger ran through my mind again. The words she had spoken put doubt where my good intentions had been. Was I a bad mother for using a wrist strap on my daughter? I had talked to people before I bought one and most agreed with its use or the use of a harness. I did have one person tell me that such things were just the manufacturers way of putting fear in parents and wanting them to believe that without their product, their child would be taken from them. The positive side was it gave my daughter a certain amount of freedom. She wasn’t strapped into a stroller constantly. Having the wrist strap gave her the chance to explore the world around her. She could walk and touch and learn without me worrying about someone snatching her. If they were going to take her, I was going along. I felt those that did not understand my using the wrist strap were those who may be uneducated about safety or not have children of their own. I did have to admit though, that before I had children, I was also unsure about such things. I too had seen them as barbaric, and felt that people were just stubborn and unwilling to control their kids. Why didn’t they just use a stroller or stay home? What could be so important that they had to put a leash on their child?

I didn’t understand safety until I had my children and that day in the store with my daughter. I knew that it only takes a second for someone to walk off with a child, and that using a wrist strap or harness was for safety, when we were in public. I was no longer the one giving out the strange looks, but instead I was receiving comments on how cruel I was. I could only tell them that I was not cruel; it was a safety issue. I knew my children’s safety meant more than any comments a person could give about being inhumane. Now safety had a whole new meaning. When it comes down to it and you need to make sure your child is safe, you do what you have to do.