36 Things Our Parents Used To Do That Would Get Them Arrested Today

There’s a huge divide between parenting today and parenting in, say, the 80s and beyond – that’s a given. Therefore, it’s a good thing that there were no camera phones back in those days because, well, let’s just say our parents would’ve been in some serious trouble.

And that’s exactly what Ilana from Mommy Shorts wanted to convey when she shared these photos from her childhood. Ilana, a working mom from NYC who runs a personal blog, then went on to ask her community to submit their own throwback photos as part of a contest. Here are some of our favorites:

Contents show

1. They didn’t really think much about our welfare in the womb.

2. Or anytime after, come to think of it.

3. They had absolutely zero regard for car safety.

4. I mean, look at that car seat!

5. Tying it down with rope was their definition of ‘security’.

6. They also broke the cardinal rule and put car seats in the front seat…

7. …or worse.

8. Sometimes, they didn’t bother with car seats at all.

9. After all, your older sister’s lap should be safe enough, right?

10. A seatbelt around the elbow should work just fine, too.

11. And if we couldn’t all squeeze into the car…

12. No space, no problem!

13. We’ll all fit, they said. It’ll be fun, they said.

14. They made naps dangerous.

15. Which is really quite a stretch, considering it’s supposed to be one of the tamest activities on earth.

16. Leaving kids in the car to sleep was perfectly acceptable behavior.

17. They gave new meaning to the phrase ‘riding shotgun’.

18. In fact, they thought guns made great toys.

19. And great accessories.

20. Even great decorations for the nursery.

21. To be honest, they really didn’t think much about baby-proofing in those days.

22. Crib safety was suspect, at best.

23. Suffocating, at worst.

24. They fed us all kinds of unhealthy stuff.

25. Or worse, made us cook our own meals.

26. They gave rise to all sorts of substance abuse problems.

27. So you know who to blame for your drinking problem.

28. And your smoking problem.

29. Might as well throw in your gambling problem, too.

30. They didn’t think twice about exposing you to dangerous beasts.

31. Pets were too mainstream, after all.

32. No sports were too extreme, either.

33. Lucky that you didn’t break your neck in the process.

34. Truly, you are who you are right now because of your parents.

35. Which explains a lot, doesn’t it?

36. Thank you, mom and dad!

You can see more of these photos on the Mommy Shorts blog, and follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

You May Also Like