![\"EPSON](\"https:\/\/www.beyondmommying.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/EPSON003-291x300.jpg\")
<\/p>\nI\u2019m sure you\u2019ve seen it.\u00a0 I\u2019ve seen it many times before and it\u2019s started making re-appearances on my Facebook newsfeed: the \u201cHow did we survive childhood?\u201d thing that talks about all the things we used to do growing up that are no longer deemed appropriate and (in this mommy\u2019s opinion) pokes fun at the way we raise children now, basically implying that we are \u201coverprotecting\u201d our children and that there was nothing wrong with the way were raised.<\/p>\n
Even though I\u2019m a pretty young mommy, I was raised similar to the way described and don\u2019t feel my parents were reckless or careless.\u00a0 But does that mean I\u2019m raising my children the same way?\u00a0 No.\u00a0 Why?\u00a0 Because now that we know better, we can do better.<\/p>\n
Here are my thoughts on some of the topics listed:<\/p>\n
(Note: there are a few versions out there of this type of thing and I have no idea where any of them originated or who the original author is, so I\u2019m not going to quote directly)<\/p>\n
Pregnant mothers used to drink, smoke and eat whatever they wanted<\/b>:\u00a0 Yes, many of us turned out ok when our mothers did these things.\u00a0 But there were some who didn\u2019t.\u00a0 There were some who were born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, drug addiction and other major health problems.\u00a0 While I don\u2019t agree that small amounts of some of these \u201cbanned\u201d substances is harmful, I do think that it is better to say none at all until we have the basis for knowing how much is too much.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
We rode in the car unrestrained<\/b>:\u00a0 This one really gets me.\u00a0 I take car safety and kids extremely seriously.\u00a0 Yes, my parents survived their childhoods just fine riding in the car unrestrained (I did have a car seat, a top of the line one that my mommy is very proud of!) but don\u2019t even think for a second that this was the case for every child.\u00a0 I know first-hand the consequences of not properly restraining a child in the car: I had a neighbor growing up who was a few years younger than me who flew through the windshield of his family car because he was not restrained.\u00a0 He spent most of my growing up years riding his bike around our neighborhood circle.\u00a0 Now, as an adult, he has an ATV and still does the same, riding around the neighborhood.\u00a0 Don\u2019t tell me car seats are unnecessary because YOU turned out fine, there are children who didn\u2019t and children who aren\u2019t even here to tell you why it\u2019s so important (car fatalities are still the #1 killer of children in America).<\/p>\n
Babies slept on their tummies<\/b>: Putting a baby to sleep on his\/her back is known to lower the risks of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS\/Cot death).\u00a0 I know many parents who still put their babies to sleep on their tummies and I\u2019m not going to judge them on this one.\u00a0 There are many things that are proven to\u00a0reduce the risk of SIDS and I don\u2019t follow all of them myself (such as using a pacifier) but I never felt that putting my babies to sleep on their tummies would provide any great advantage to my life so why risk theirs?<\/p>\n
![\"SONY](\"https:\/\/www.beyondmommying.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/DSC09664-2.jpg\")
<\/a>\u00a0We played outside all the time<\/b>:\u00a0 This one I agree we need more of.\u00a0 Children should be outside more, playing, running, riding bikes.\u00a0 But when?\u00a0 When is this \u201coutside time\u201d supposed to happen in a world where my child is at school for 6 hours a day then has 30+ minutes of homework and then is so tired ( from waking up at 6:30 in the morning) she can\u2019t function so needs a nap just so she can make it through a family dinner before bed?\u00a0 And how are my children supposed to play safely outside when the housing developments are built with no yards and the cars go way to fast up and down the street?\u00a0 Am I being over protective by not letting them ride their bikes in the road (and NEVER without a helmet)?\u00a0 Or are other people being reckless by only thinking of themselves and their priorities?<\/p>\n