walk. Really?

walk.

This blog is funny, in general, but it is also kind of mean. I laughed a couple of times, but I also got a little angry. First of all the author doesn't know the story of why those kids are in strollers or if this is an everyday practice of an exception. The author says "When I have a baby of my own it will be strapped to me, as an infant and then it will be walking. No middle ground." While that is noble in concept, that isn't always practical. Once the author actually has a child, she might find that there are times when some sort of portable transportation is necessary for her child of walking age. Who gets to decide whether it is meaner to put a child in a stroller (because why, it makes them lazy?) or force them to walk the entire day at the zoo or amusement park, outdoor festival, etc.?

I personally do not put my 3 year-old in a stroller normally, but if we are somewhere that he might get tired then I bring the stroller. If a place is way too crowded for me to feel safe I have been known to use a leash because in the past I have suffered from foot problems that made me unable to catch him should he get away from me. Now that my foot has recovered I use the stroller if I want to take a walk for exercise, otherwise my 3 year old can't walk fast or long enough for me to burn any calories and I have my kids with me at all times. At other times I take family walks where he just runs along at his own pace and we do not go very far, so that he can still enjoy the pleasures of walking and being out in nature.

The decision to use a stroller, a leash, or neither, is a personal one. It isn't a decision that is really going to change who your kid is as a person. A child put in a stroller will not automatically turn into a sociopath, nor will one who is kept from strollers become the next president. So why do we feel so smug about our decisions as parents? If you feel that you are making the best decision for your child, then more power to you. But do you really need to make someone else feel bad about theirs if it isn't harmful? Also, I would step back a minute and realize sometimes the decisions you make before you even have kids don't end up being the ones you actually follow through with once the little bundle of joy is running towards a street screaming as you hobble after it, 6 months pregnant, trying to catch up to keep your little one safe.