We often look back at our childhood years with nostalgia, but the parenting styles we grew up with probably had its pros and cons. Who am I kidding? Thinking back on some moments makes me ask myself, "What were they thinking?!" This may be the reason why new parents tend to be hyper overprotective and way more careful about every little detail concerning your child. From organic diapers to buying the highest rated car seat, it is normal to want the best for your child, but are we taking things a little too far? Some of these cases will prove that our parents could have gotten arrested (yes, sent to prison!) for pulling some parenting stunts that we considered normal back in the day.
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When we were growing up, no one would have thought that you could get arrested for taking bathtime pictures of your kids. That is exactly what happened to an Arizona couple in 2008. After they took the photos to be developed, the store employee looked at the pics and thought some of them were a little too racy. The couple was arrested and their three children were held in protective custody for a month. A judge later ruled that the images were totally fine and normal. Jeez! This definitely seems a little excessive–especially if the parents had clean records.
In the good old days, you may have been allowed to stay home alone with your siblings or cousins, but that is also a thing of the past. Most states do not allow children to stay home alone until the age of 12. That's why there are so many stories of moms getting arrested for leaving their children unsupervised. I actually don't believe kids younger than 12 should be left alone. Just hire a babysitter that is 18 or older and get a background check. Yes, I think it is totally fine to get in loca mode about this one.
When we were growing up, people weren't aware of the dangers of secondhand smoke or the negative effects of eating junk food either. The difference is that in a world where so much information is at our fingertips in real time, we are overloaded with health studies and statistics. I think it's healthy to learn from your own parents mistakes, but no one is perfect. You will make your own mistakes and perhaps your kid will get a scrape or two, but look at us who survived a ton of our own parents' trip-ups! That helped us build character so if you make any parenting blunders, let it go. Trust me, your kid will survive just like we did!
Image via Corbis
