If you have a preschooler who will politely walk next to you, not run away, and not get out of your sight — even for just a second! — then congratulations. Seriously, I’m impressed. As a mom of three young boys, I can’t imagine even walking around the block without at least one of them strapped down or contained in some way (yes, even my 5-year-old still rides in a stroller sometimes). It’s easy-ish when they’re different ages — I can use a wagon for the older two and babywear my youngest — but imagine having five kids the same age? Quintuplet dad Jordan Driskell has five (!!) 5-year-olds so naturally, he has to get creative. In a recent viral video, he showed how they go on family walks, and people had big feelings about it.
“Come walk a mile in my shoes,” Driskell captioned a video in July, showing him on a walk with his kids Zoey, Dakota, Hollyn, Asher, and Gavin, whom he shares with wife Briana. Text on the video reads, “When people judge me for using child leashes…” and shows a short clip of all five of his kids wearing harnesses connected to leashes that Driskell is holding.
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The video currently has 4.1 million views, and tons of comments, including lots of negativity — this is the internet, after all. One person wrote, “They are not dogs. How about some teaching what to do.”
Another said, “Are you gonna train them to pull a sleigh next? Which one has the red nose? Are any of them rescues?”
One person didn’t like it, but at least had sympathy for the dad (who again, has five 5-year-olds!). “I don’t like how it looks …but with 5 kids I understand..at least they’re safe,” they wrote.
Others were supportive, with one person commenting, “Considering my 2 year old tried to bolt into the street, yea we use leashes too now.”
“With 5 kids you need that 👏,” someone else wrote. “Responsible parenting right here.”
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How can you fault someone for keeping their kids safe? Would you rather him risk one or two running out into the street? Or wreaking havoc in the aisles of Target? He isn’t babysitting five kids — he has to take care of them every single day. And while he’s making sure everyone in his big family is fed, clothed, happy, and not fighting, he deserves a little peace of mind knowing that they won’t accidentally hurt themselves or run away or both. Until you have parented quintuplets, give the man a freaking break!
Driskell explained his decision in an interview with TODAY on Aug. 2. “Kids are so curious — they want to run off and explore,” he told the outlet. “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.”
That sounds awesome! Whereas other parents would curl up in a ball and hide at home if they had quintuplet preschoolers (me, I’m other parents), he is actually making an effort to go out and have fun with them — and he’s doing it in the safest way possible.
Driskell explained that they actually used to have a six-seat stroller, but it was “too bulky and ridiculous to take anywhere.” The Kentucky dad added, “The other thing is, they want to walk when we go somewhere crowded. A leash gives them the opportunity to do that — but we’re still in control. They love it.”
He’s also posted several joking videos after the incident, including one where he responds to a comment that says, “Just a dad taking his pet sperm for a walk. Mind ya business ppls,” with a close-up shot of his hand wrapped around all five leashes. Driskell captioned it, “Don’t mind me!”
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Another time, he responded to a comment that said, “You shouldn’t have kids then if you’re gonna treat them like dogs don’t have kids it’s not that hard.”
He captioned this video, “Don’t mind me, just crate training my “DOGS” 🤣 in @walmart.” In the video, he’s pushing a cart with three of his kids, and his wife follows behind with a cart with two of the kids. They all smile and wave at the camera (clearly, not upset by this arrangement at all).
Even though we wish parents could just live without all the backlash, at least we get to enjoy some hilarious parenting content out of it. Nothing can keep this super dad down!
At least he’s fair! He let his quintuplets leash him in a video posted yesterday, writing “When the tables have turned….”
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Hey, parenting is all about having a sense of humor, right?
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