Travis Kelce Reveals He Was A Leash Kid & Literally No One Is Surprised

You could argue that athletes are forged after countless hours of practice, by overcoming impossible odds and soldiering on through defeat. But it would seem that some athletes are born to run — if you’re asking Donna Kelce, that is. In the latest installment of Travis and Jason Kelce’s podcast, New Heights, the brothers cover all sorts of topics with their special guests, Mama and Papa Kelce, and Jason’s wife, Kylie. And their conversation took a hilarious turn when the family discussed the fact that Travis Kelce used to be “a leash kid.”

The topic arises when Travis mentions going to Cedar Point amusement park as kids, when he was around 1 or 2, and asks his mother to explain why she put him on a leash for the day. Jason Kelce notes that Travis’ stint on a leash came after Jason got lost at a county fair the year before, and was returned to his mother by a police officer.

“I was scared to death because you would just run off. I couldn’t catch you Trav, you were so fast. Plus, I couldn’t lift you,” Donna says. At this point, Travis cuts in to explain that his mom always picked a meet-up point when they’d arrive somewhere busy, a place they would all go if they got separated so they could find each other quickly. Little Travis took this to mean he could run off intentionally and just head back to the meeting spot when he was ready. No, son...

Mama Kelce goes on to say Travis started walking at 8 months old and tells him “you were just a terror.” Apparently his small size plus his early ability to walk made Travis able to “dip in and out of cars” and evade his parents. “I can’t have you dying, so that’s what we did,” Donna says.

All in all, Donna says Travis’s stint on the leash only lasted about six months, just until he could understand the dangers of darting off. It sounds like his no-fear attitude was the same as most toddlers’, but that coupled with his speed and size made it hard for his parents to keep up sometimes.

And listen, leash kids and their parents probably deal with a lot of judgment for it, but if your kid is a runner, a harness is honestly the best way to keep them safe when you’re out and about. Let the haters hate, because they’ve obviously never had to chase a toddler who sprints for a busy intersection like they drank turbo jet fuel with breakfast. And who knows — maybe your little sprinter will grow up to put those skills to good use as a professional athlete, just like T. Kelce himself.