Placemat and tether system

A placemat and tether system comprising:

• a mat body, the mat body characterized by a front side and a back side and comprising a food-grade silicone;
• an anchor disposed on the front side of the mat body;
• a suction cup that extends from the back side of the mat body;
• and
• an elongated tether having an anchor end, a retention end, and a stretchable elastic section between the anchor end and retention end;
• wherein the anchor end is removably coupleable to the anchor via a compression mechanism having a first portion with an aperture characterized by an aperture diameter and a second portion with a terminus characterized by a terminus diameter, wherein the terminus diameter is greater than the aperture diameter;
• wherein the stretchable elastic section comprises a winding segment and a straight segment coupled to the winding segment, each of the winding segment and the straight segment having a substantially circular cross section, wherein the stretchable elastic section is configured to facilitate stretching along a length of the elongated tether of not more than 12 inches when subjected to five pounds of stretching force;
• and
• wherein the elongated tether further comprises a retention segment coupled to the straight segment, which retention segment comprises the retention end, a first aperture and a second aperture that are removably coupleable, via a compression fit, with the retention end to thereby form a loop of either a first size or a second size that is different than the first size, the retention segment having a length that is about as long as the straight segment.