A mother has sparked a heated debate after revealing she keeps her daughter on a leash while they shop together at a supermarket.
Alexis is a US-based mother who divided the internet as she shared a video of her keeping her toddler daughter on a wrist leash during a shopping spree.
“I’m tired of the world being this way but I’m never tired of protecting my girls. I’m okay looking like a crazy mom. As long as my babies are safe and thanks to everyone I freaking love this thing,” the woman wrote as she shared her story on the internet.
After her video went viral and racked up over 13 million views, the mother received plenty of criticism from fellow parents who believed her method of keeping her child safe was “cruel” and “insensitive.”
“She’s not a dog, you can do better than this!” one viewer raged.
“Instead of putting her on a freakin leash you could just make sure to watch her,” another said.
A third wrote: “This is a little much.”
Many viewers, however, also voiced their support for the mother and praised her for “protecting her daughter” with her “brilliant idea.”
“I don’t care what anyone says I’m doing this. Call me crazy but I will always be a protective mom first,” someone said.
“Moms get shamed for everything they do, no matter what. Do what you need to do to keep your kids safe in this crazy world,” another added.
Following a variety of responses, Alexis doubled down on her practice and urged other parents to consider implementing the leash as well.
“I used to work with children on the spectrum. I don’t share this about myself very often, but I was an ABA therapist. Something that’s common with children who have autism is they do tend to elope. If you’re not familiar with what elopement is, that’s when a child tends to wander off or run away from the parent or the environment,” the mother explained.
“Now, this can be very traumatic for both the child and the parent. I know that if I had this device when I was working with families, this would have made life so much safer.”
She continued: “So if you’re one of those people that think ‘I would never,’ please take a moment. Not everybody’s situation is the same.
“It might not work for you. But it works for a lot of people, myself included. Now, I want to thank everybody who is super supportive in the comments. I was using it today and I thought of you guys.
“If this isn’t for you and your family – that’s fine. However, I strongly urge you to take a moment before judging others.”
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