Jordan Driskell, 31, of Kentucky has sparked the Internet”s fury after uploading a video of himself walking with his five young kids.
The video showed Jordan and Zoey, Dakota, Hollyn, Asher, and Gavin on a walk — but the young toddlers were all on a leash. The video quickly inspired tons of backlash from people who were furious that the kids were wearing leashes.
@drixxleman / Instagram
“When people judge me for using child leashes,” Jordan wrote in the video. The song Vegas by Doja Cat played in the background.
Jordan holds onto five ropes, each of which is attached to a harness that the kids were wearing. They were walking around an aquarium.
“Come walk a mile in my shoes,” Jordan captioned the video.
The Instagram post went viral with over three million views and a huge argument erupted in the comments. Some people respected the leashes, saying that it was a safety precaution. Others noted that the kids are “humans, not dogs.”
“I have nothing but respect for you sir,” chimed in one supporter.
Another noted that it was, “Better safe than sorry. If I had that many I would do the same. Rock on!”
“With five kids you need that. Responsible parenting right here,” a third said in the comments.
“Considering my two-year-old tried to bolt into the street, yeah, we use leashes now too,” said a fourth supporter.
@drixxleman / Instagram
Another agreed that, “Keeping them safe is priority number one. So you”re all good, sir. It”s not hurting them in any way.
“There”s nothing wrong with this, I think it”s brilliant. I always used baby harness with reigns on my two so they were always by me,” a parent wrote in in support of the leashes.
“Not going to lie, some kids really need leashes, nothing wrong with not wanting to lose your child every time you look away,” someone else wrote.
Not everybody agreed, however, and other comments poured in against the leashes.
“Are they rescue?” one person sarcastically asked, referring to the fact that rescue dogs wear leashes.
Another person made this helpful comment: “But teachers can look after 30 kids without using leashes.”
Someone else noted, “They are not dogs. How about teaching [them] what to do?”
“Are you gonna train them to pull a sleigh next? Which one has the red nose? Are any of them rescue?” commented someone ready for Christmas.
“Don”t have so many kids,” one absolute ass wrote. Another said, “Those kids are way too old to be walked on a leash like a d**n dog.”
Jordan explained to the Today show that his kids like to “run off and explore” so he and his wife use the leashes as a way to keep peace of mind and sanity.
“Kids are so curious – they want to run off and explore. For our own peace of mind and sanity, we use a leash. It also allows us to leave the house and do fun stuff as a family without being stressed,” he said.
A five-seat stroller was “too bulky and ridiculous” to take with them everywhere, but the leashes offer control with the opportunity to walk around.