I literally was like oh you did NOT just let go of her hand in public to take a call… the times i took my kindy kids out on a walk we had an adult FRONT and BACK watching them like hawks, strict as a military brigade. And that’s 100% necessary because even after 1 month of exposure to caring for a little kid you know they’re danger magnets.
Genuinely want to clobber this guy with a brick actually bc what’s his deal judging their living situation when he wants to disrupt her stability while barely knowing what he’s doing? Arrogant.
I totally agree with you!!! Kids are very curious in nature and not being alert all the time when with them means they can either get lost, get hurt, or worst of all get fucking kidnapped or follow a stranger who they thought was you. The father should be re-enrolled in a god damn parenting class, he clearly isn't thinking.
I can't believe how many upvotes the comment got. This is over zealous. Obviously you shouldn't take your eyes off of your kids when you go out but to never let go of their hand is helicopter parenting. And I've never seen a kid be okay with constantly holding their parents hand, mine always want to walk on their own, even though they are walking right next to me. Kids are naturally curious and will want to wander off but if you're paying attention to them then you will follow or call them back before they walk too far. Don't let your fear of the outside world stop you from letting your child experience it.
Your style of parenting is not really wrong either, but i live in a country where I'm more cautious of the people around me. I'm not saying that you should be a helicopter parent, what I'm talking about is in a public space where there are variables you can't control. Yes not taking your eye of your child is one way to do it. But your just welcoming in things that could throw you off kilter. Obviously it boils down to how your childs temperment are, if their behavior welcomes trouble or if their well behave to be not held hands with. But based on my experience and the environment i live in its hard to just let your child loose.
and that fear is understandable, but just because its hard doesn't mean you shouldn't do it. And if your child is the type that loves to run around and explore, instead of preventing them from doing so, you should teach them how to do it properly. my son has adhd and that kid canNOT sit still. Still I let him walk (or most likely run) on his own. He knows that he cannot leave my sight, he should not cross any roads and that he cannot run so far that he can't hear me calling him. And we both feel safe in knowing that I am always close by enough that I can quickly run over to him when there's trouble. However, I do hold his hand in crowded spaces just to make sure we don't get separated.
Right cos context is everything, if you’re talking about a park or a beach then yeah of course let them run around, but if you’re walking down a crowded city sidewalk? Noooo waaaay. And you don’t have to be a Child Cop about it, you can just be idly holding their hand or keeping them in front of you, but imho that dude in the chapter DID fuck up by turning his back and taking a call. Especially considering he was taking care of a kid in the midst of a custody battle.
Bad parenting 101.. NEVER let go of your child's hand specially in a public area (crowded or not!) even when taking a phone call.