Parenting: 10 Worst Pieces of Advice We’ve Ever Received
Restored from the Empower Network archive (2011–2017), lightly edited to meet our current advertising standards. Views are the original author’s.
Parenting: 10 Worst Pieces of Advice We’ve Ever Received
By Redbook | Team Mom – 3 hours ago
By Charlotte Hilton Andersen, REDBOOK.
Kim Zolciak, famous both for being on Real Housewives and for her huge wig collection, recently shared a favorite parenting tip with Us Magazine. The mom of three (and mom-to-be of number four soon), explains that she keeps a wooden spoon in her purse at all times “for my kids if they get fresh. I’ve never used it; I just pull it out and they know I’m serious.” Empty threats of corporal punishment are her best parenting tactic? Forgive me, but that might be the worst parenting advice I’ve ever heard. No matter how you feel about spanking, whacking kids with a wooden spoon is abusive and combining that with an empty threat just shows kids you don’t enforce your punishments. And why are you carrying that thing around in your purse? But celebs aren’t the only ones spewing terrible parenting tips. Here are some of the best (worst) pieces of advice we’ve ever gotten:
“Don’t reach above your head when you’re pregnant or the baby’s cord will get tangled around his or her neck.” – Karla
Parenting: 10 Worst Pieces of Advice We’ve Ever Received
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“Don’t tell the daycare that your kids have autism!” – Mary
“Give your newborn water when he wakes up in the middle of the night so that he will learn that it wasn’t worthwhile to wake up.” – Rebecca
“Squirt your kids with water when they misbehave, just as you would with a pet you are training. Squirt squirt!” – Kymberly
” ‘Let them cry it out, it’s good for their lungs!’ Okay, so I’ve said this too but it’s totally stupid advice. How is crying good for anyone’s lungs?? Sheesh!” – Krista
Parenting: 10 Worst Pieces of Advice We’ve Ever Received
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“I was told by a friend to ‘let them make their own decisions and then teach them if they make a mistake.’ But it ended up in practice just meaning ‘no boundaries.’ We stopped visiting after that.” – Jeff
“When my older daughter was 6 months old, I was nursing her and she bit me with her brand new tooth–hard enough to draw blood. One of my co-workers told me to bite her back. My 6-month-old! The thought of actually biting my child makes me sick to my stomach.” – Michelle
Parenting: 10 Worst Pieces of Advice We’ve Ever Received
“Hit your kid to teach him/ her that hitting is bad.” – Alexandra
“Let them cry it out. Painful for both of us!” – Lisa
“My doctor told me: ‘Don’t ever let your heart rate get over 140 beats per minute.’ Who are they kidding? My heart rate gets that high carrying laundry up the stairs!” – Megan
What’s the worst piece of parenting advice you’ve ever been told?
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