toddlr-tethrs-msg - 4/29/09
Use of tethers/"leading strings" to control toddlers in period and the SCA. Child safety line.
NOTE: See also the files: child-tags-msg, children-msg, teething-toys-msg, toys-msg, child-wagons-msg, baby-slings-msg, Childs-Seat-art, Kindergarb-art.
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Mark S. Harris AKA: THLord Stefan li Rous
Stefan at florilegium.org
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Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
From: "Michael Squires" <mikes at cs.indiana.edu>
Subject: Re: Small children at Pennsic
Organization: Indiana University Computer Science, Bloomington
Date: Wed, 31 Mar 1993 16:21:12 -0500
STEWARTL at wood-emh1.ARmy.MIL (LOU STEWART) writes:
>Aethelynda mentions wanting a leash for her little one at events. Reminds
I know that these were called "leading strings" in the 1700's and suspect
that they are quite period :-).
--
Mike Squires (mikes at cs.indiana.edu) 812 855 3974 (w) 812 333 6564 (h)
mikes at cs.indiana.edu 546 N Park Ridge Rd., Bloomington, IN 47408
Subject: Hyperactive kid, yo!
Date: 7 Feb 1998 06:32:47 GMT
From: arialhakon at aol.com (ArialHakon)
Organization: AOL http://www.aol.com
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
>I was wondering if there was anyone else out there with a hyperactive
>child (no, I don't just mean "busy" or "active", I mean clinically
>hyperactive).
>
>I would love to find someone else to discuss how you handle events with
>your child. Clinton is 2 1/2 years old and a handful at the best of
>times, but we don't want to stop going to events, and we can't just ship
>him to Grandma's house for every event.
>
>Claricia Nyetgale
>Caldrithig, Skraeling Althing, EALDORMERE!
I have a boy, now almost 9, who has been in the SCA since day 1 (I threatened
the Kingdom Chiurgeon that he needed to brush up on his in-field delivery
techniques). My son is hyperactive, although currently he does not have the
medical diagnosis (we are in the process of getting him diagnosed as such, but
so far everyone agrees).
First rule of thumb, don't be an officer or volunteer to do any activity in
which you will not be able to "run after" him at inconvienient moments (I had
to step down as Chatelaine, because even if I stopped to talk to a "newbe", he
was off and running....no gate duty either).
<snip>
Fourth...one word...."leash". Our Nordic ancestors were wise when they
invented "leiderhosen"....basically leather pants with built in suspenders to
which they would sometimes attach a leash and "stake the kid out" in the shade
while they worked nearby. Some people freak at the thought of putting a kid on
a leash, but I find that it is more effective than putting a kid in a playpen
and keeps the kid safe.....BUT YOU MUST BE WITHIN SIGHT OF THE KID AT ALL TIMES
when you do this....is also great for cruising merchant row, although it is
best to get a "babysitter" for those times, so you can actually GO INTO the
tent without having to grab both hands of the kid the entire time.....(yes,
been there, done that....)
Fifth, get a "portable playpen" to use as a bed. Even at this age, the sides
make a kind of boundary which takes a while for him to get over, so you have
time to realize the kid is up and can "corral" him. It also makes it a little
easier to do the time-out thing.
<snip>
There are a few more suggestions, but this is getting too long. E-mail me if
you want.
Arial Haakonarstedir
From: Cam Battaglia <momma_cammie at yahoo.com>
Date: July 10, 2007 2:53:47 PM CDT
To: "'Kingdom of Ansteorra - SCA, Inc.'" <ansteorra at lists.ansteorra.org>
Subject: Re: [Ansteorra] OT?: SCA baby
> Elisabeth B. Zakes wrote:
> Get a body-harness leash for the toddlers, especially for large events
> like Gulf War. You'll probably get some grief about it, but the value of
> being able to ensure your child cannot disappear in the blink of an eye is
> incalculable. The child feels a lot of freedom, being able to explore a
> bit, and you have control over the child's distance from you. You also know
> the child cannot slip between two people and vanish.
Just remind them that "leading strings" were definitely used in period ...
for many of the same reasons that are mentioned above. I used them with not
only my own 2 sons, but with all 9 of my nieces and nephews ... and I can
proudly state that I have never been the panic stricken person looking for
her infant/toddler in a crowd!
Ly Katrina Alyse Argo
Protˇgˇ to Mesterinde Annes Clotilde von Bamburg
Proprietress, Barefoot Boxes/Longship Furniture
From: Cam Battaglia <momma_cammie at yahoo.com>
Date: July 10, 2007 4:20:46 PM CDT
To: 'Stefan li Rous' <StefanliRous at austin.rr.com>
Subject: RE: [Ansteorra] OT?: SCA baby
One quick reference is on Wikipedia at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leading_strings and shows a picture of a child
with "leading strings" attached to their clothing. Not quite what we have
today, but along the same line. The picture is dated "1658", which puts it
only "slightly" past period ...
I will have to search for others, which might take some time.
Ly Katrina
-----Original Message-----
From: Stefan li Rous [mailto:StefanliRous at austin.rr.com]
Ly Katrina Alyse Argo mentioned:
> Just remind them that "leading strings" were definitely used in
> period ...
Could you, or anyone else, give some more information about this
period use or pointers to pictures and such? I'd love to add such
material to the children-msg file in the Florilegium.
Thanks,
Stefan
--------
THLord Stefan li Rous Barony of Bryn Gwlad Kingdom of Ansteorra
Mark S. Harris Austin, Texas
From: "Cam Battaglia" <momma_cammie at yahoo.com>
Date: March 2, 2008 1:46:47 PM CST
To: "'Stefan li Rous'" <StefanliRous at austin.rr.com>
Cc: "Annes Clothilde von Bamburg" <annescvb at gmail.com>
Subject: RE: 'leading strings' for period children
<<< Did you happen to find any more examples of these "leading strings"
being used for children in period?
Stefan >>>
HL Stefan,
It would be my great pleasure to assist you with this endeavor. Here are a few possibly useful links which I have found in my research. Although my children are grown men and long gone from my house, I do remember what it was like when they were young...and the looks that I received when I took them out in public to stores with their "leading strings" on (yes, I used them with my two boys!). It was my long departed Mother that told me about them as well as their historical use in our family. She was of German/French decent and her mother was from "the Old country":
1. A sketch that Rembrandt did in 1645 showing an old woman with a child on leading strings from the National Museum in Stockholm: http://www.rembrandtpainting.net/rmbrndt_selected_drawings/child_and_old_woman.htm
2. An article from Historical Boy's Clothing: http://histclo.com/style/skirted/dress/lead.html
3. Painting by Abraham Bosse - "Le Cabinet d'un homme de loi" - is showing leading strings trailing from the garment of the child in front. http://expositions.bnf.fr/bosse/grand/440.htm
4. A link to a painting by "Peter Paul Rubens, with his wife Helena Fourment, and their son Peter Paul" done in 1639 that hangs in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The painting is almost at the bottom of the page. http://www.all-art.org/history252-17.html
5. Definition From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913):
Leading \Lead"ing\, a. Guiding; directing; controlling; foremost; as a leading motive; a leading man; a leading example. -- {Lead"ing*ly}, adv
{Leading case} (Law), a reported decision which has come to
be regarded as settling the law of the question involved.
--Abbott.
{Leading motive} [a translation of G. leitmotif] (Mus.), a guiding theme; in the modern music drama of Wagner, a marked melodic phrase or short passage which always
accompanies the reappearance of a certain person, situation, abstract idea, or allusion in the course of the play; a sort of musical label.
{Leading note} (Mus.), the seventh note or tone in the ascending major scale; the sensible note.
{Leading question}, a question so framed as to guide the person questioned in making his reply.
{Leading strings}, strings by which children are supported when beginning to walk.
{To be in leading strings}, to be in a state of infancy or dependence, or under the guidance of others
{Leading wheel}, a wheel situated before the driving wheels of a locomotive engine.
While there is only one additional article in my collection, I believe that the paintings done by some of the Baroque and Rococo masters serve to show that "leading strings" are by no means a modern invention and that they have been used quite successfully in our past.
Ly Katrina Alyse Argo
Protˇgˇ to Mesterinde Annes Clotilde von Bamburg
Shire of Gates Edge
Kingdom of Ansteorra
From: Kaitlan Roisendubh <kaitlan_kiera at yahoo.com>
Date: Fri, 17 Apr 2009 07:13:27
To: Inc.Kingdom of Ansteorra - SCA<ansteorra at lists.ansteorra.org>
Subject: Re: [Ansteorra] Feeding toddlers at events
you might also think of how to keep track of him... I know that when I was in public with my children when they were little, I used a large dog collar and leash... yes, I know sounds odd but with the collar opening in the back they didn't escape. BTW my youngest is deaf and autistic.
Lady Kaitlan
From: "michellechilders at hotmail.com" <michellechilders at hotmail.com>
To: Kingdom of Ansteorra <ansteorra at lists.ansteorra.org>
Sent: Friday, April 17, 2009 9:17:28 AM
Subject: Re: [Ansteorra] Feeding toddlers at events
We used a large dog harness and a leash for my son. The dog harness straps on easily to his trunk - and makes it difficult for them to get out of when they are sneaky little toddlers who like to run free!
From: Deborah Wade <rhiannonferchcian at yahoo.com>
Date: April 17, 2009 5:58:49 PM CDT
To: michellechilders at hotmail.com, "Kingdom of Ansteorra - SCA, Inc." <ansteorra at lists.ansteorra.org>
Subject: Re: [Ansteorra] Feeding toddlers at events
Better yet. Sears has the harness and leash which zips up the back no way he can undo the clasps. Believe me mine tried and succeeded before we found the one at Sears. you do need alonger leash than they provide with the harness.
Rhiannon
From: Coblaith Muimnech <Coblaith at sbcglobal.net>
Date: April 17, 2009 1:44:23 PM CDT
To: "Kingdom of Ansteorra - SCA, Inc." <ansteorra at lists.ansteorra.org>
Subject: [Ansteorra] toddler tethers (was: Feeding toddlers at events)
Lady Grainne Kathleen NicPadraig MacDaniel asked:
. . .I'm appealing to you all for advice on what to feed a 16 month old child at an event.
Lady Kaitlan wrote:
you might also think of how to keep track of him... I know that when I was in public with my children when they were little, I used a large dog collar and leash. . .
There's a 16th-century illustration at <http://www.bildindex.de/bilder/MI05036f02a.jpg>; that shows a young toddler being supported by a strip of cloth slung around his chest and under his arms, the ends held by a caregiver. Their use is similar to that of leading strings <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leading_strings>;, which were a common part of life in the 17th through the early 19th centuries. I would think you could use or adapt that approach to something that would keep the kid in arm's reach without being obtrusively modern, if you felt you needed it.
Coblaith Muimnech
From: Alexandria Doyle <garbaholic at gmail.com>
Date: April 17, 2009 2:10:49 PM CDT
To: "Kingdom of Ansteorra - SCA, Inc." <ansteorra at lists.ansteorra.org>
Subject: Re: [Ansteorra] toddler tethers (was: Feeding toddlers at events)
I have found an illustration of three of James the first's children,
big sister (maybe 7 yrs old) holding the leading strings for the
youngest(2 or 3yrs old) who looked like she just wanted to play (and
important to me, holding a doll).
alex
<the end>
