That thing should be on a leash

The weekend before last, Ryvre and I joined Aunt Rachel and her girls K and E, at the Alaska State Fair. Chadd chose to go golfing instead; a choose that proved to be wise beyond his years.

I have every other Friday off, but instead of using my off Friday for the Fair I decided to take care of home business and go to the ASF on Saturday, besides the weather was supposed to be so much better on Saturday. Strangely enough this was also the same idea that everyone and there dog had.

The day of the Fair was 68 degrees. Note from pervious post that this happens to be one of the most beautiful days Anchorage and the Valley had all summer. Once I entire the park I quickly regretted not listening to Rachel and coming out the day before. I really don’t think the ASF was set up to handle that number of people.

K was really the only child that was old enough to enjoy the rides and exhibits so we proceeded to the petting zoo and pony rides and once we got there we lost K in a sea of people. She was only lost for 2 minutes (at the most), but Rachel I and both thought the same thing. SOMEONE TOOK HER! Thanks God we were incorrect. Turns out that she wonder left when we wondered right and with in a few seconds we could no long see each other.

This brings up the dispute of leashes for your children. Up until this insistent I was vocally apposed to leashes on kids. I thought that the “one partner two hands” theory was the best way to go; one hand to hold the child and one hand to smack them in the back of the head when they failed to follow closely. It seemed to work for my parents and they had 5 children.

On this particular day we had two parents and three children we should have been able to handle the chaos. Now just because we are unable to supervise adequately, is that cause to submit and child to the humiliation of a leash…

Yes. In certain situation a leash is not only a “nice to have” it’s the “right tool for the job”.

When the parents are unable to properly supervise the children and/or when the environment makes it impossible to get a children attention. I think a leash is necessary and I also think the ASF should have them to rent on these very busy days.

I have learned a few very valuables lessons.

1. Always go to the fair on a weekday
2. Never assume that a mother’s voice and a stern word can compete with a pony for a child’s attention

K learned quickly to stay close and really enjoyed the rest of the day. E never even attempted to leave the security of the little red wagon. Ryvre thought, as usual, that she was an adult and could go any where and do anything she wanted. Luck for me she was a little frightened of the crowd and chose to stay close, but right, wrong or indifferent, if I would have had a leash she would have been on it.