As a youth, I worked as a recreation assistant at a local park. One day a lady arrived with her kid on a leash. It traumatized me. I ran up the adult park ranger. He was shocked by the sight and asked the lady to either release her kid or else leave.
I “get” the safety argument if in a high danger zone —-just reporting that it still bothers me many years hence. It was a very upsetting thing to see.
Your mileage may differ.
O.K., Karen.
What. Ever.
I love and believe in old sayings, in this case: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
For the safety of my child I never needed that pound of cure because I used a leash.