8 Examples of Crap Parenting Advice That Proves You’re Not Screwing Up Your Kids Any Worse Than Previous Generations

My mother-in-law, God love her, has this one habit that drives me crazy; she loves to tell me how much better parenting was when her kids were little and then suggests that perhaps I ought to fall in line and do as she did. I know she means well, but I’ve met her adult children — I’m married to one of them — and as fabulous as they all are, they are most definitely not the Saints one might assume they ought to be based on her vision of ideal parenting.

But it got me thinking, is my generation of mothers really and truly screwing up that badly? Indeed each generation had its share of crap techniques that threaten to give a whole generation of kids some severe issues. Right? Well, moms and dads of little kids, guess what? Our parents were not perfect at raising kids despite what they might tell you. Want proof? Here are eight examples of some seriously questionable parenting advice that was once actually popular among experts.

Bathe Your Baby in Lard

Who doesn’t love the smell of a freshly bathed baby? Our great-great-great grandmothers from the 1910s sure did. However, the fresh scent of lard beat out that sweet smell of lavender that is popular today. In a book commonly given to new mothers in the 1910s, Willian S. Sadler and Lena K. Sadler advised mothers to bathe their babies in lard. I’m all for sweet-smelling oils to keep that baby skin…