12 Parenting Choices We’d Get Shamed For — but Our Moms Never Were

How many times have you heard your own mother or grandmother say something to the effect of, "We never did that for you kids." It could pertain to anything — car safety, healthy snacks, baby-proofing — you name it. 

If you remember back to your own childhood (through that foggy mom brain of yours), we had a lot more independence and fewer rules with which to contend. That's not to say the heightening of car safety and other protective regulations aren't incredibly important, it's just different from "the old days." 

We asked moms to share the now-controversial practices of parenting generations past — those things that were once accepted but we'd be totally judged for now. Seriously, how many forms of sunscreen do you currently carry in your purse or diaper bag? I have five.

Lack of Sunscreen

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"My parents [would] rarely put sunscreen on me. It wasn't considered as important back then as it is now. I always carry sunscreen in my bag and wouldn't think of letting my kids leave the house without it. Then, it wasn't a priority." — Claudia D.

Sugary Drinks

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"As a kid, we drank sugary drinks all of the time — juice boxes, sodas, you name it. I don't remember anyone judging my parents for that. Maybe it was just acceptable where I grew up. But today I wouldn't dream of giving my kids soda." — Laurel H.

Spanking

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"It didn't happen very often but if we really went off the rails and got in trouble, we got spanked. That doesn't seem to fly today." — Rachael M.

More from CafeMom: 3 Toddler Discipline Tricks That Don't Involve Spanking

Biking Without Helmets

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"We did not have helmets for riding bikes or scooters. We used to ride with abandon. Thankfully we never got hurt aside from the occasional scrape or bruise." — Colleen R.

Free Range Kids

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"I think a common theme is that parents back then could just let their kids disappear. We could take off as long as we were back before the dinner bell (my mom literally had a cowbell which rang out through the neighborhood)." — Carolina P.

Sitting in a Car Without Supervision

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"When my brother and I ran errands with my parents, we got to decide if we wanted to go in to the store or wait in the car reading a book. We regularly chose the book. — Monica B. 

More from CafeMom: The 6 Stages of Throwing Away an Old Toy

Smoking Around Kids

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"My mother wasn't judged for smoking a cigarette while we picked out produce in the grocery store. I, on the other hand, snapped them all and she quit. But, seriously, no weird looks at all!" – Caroline G.

No Car Safety Rules

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"When I was really young and we would visit my grandparents, I rode in the middle of the bench seat in the front with my lap belt for protection. Can you imagine what people would say now?" — Monique L.

Hours & Hours of TV

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"Remember Saturday morning cartoons? There was no such thing as screen time!" — Lori S.

More from CafeMom: __16 TV Shows & Cartoons From the '90s We're Glad Our Kids Don't Watch No__w

Junk Food Snacks

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"When I was a kid, our house had all the sweets and junk food. Now I feel obligated to give healthy choices when friends are over." — Cheryl C.

Walking Solo

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"My parents let us walk to school, town, or friends' houses unsupervised." — Julia M.

Beach Day Without Parents

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"I used to go to the beach with my best friend as a child. Her parents were into scuba diving and would take us out of town to the coastal California beach towns, leaving us on the beach all day long by ourselves. Like six to eight hours. We didn't fry, drown, starve, or get kidnapped, no thanks to them. — Penni E.

More from CafeMom: 10 Genius Beach Trip Hacks Every Parent Really Needs