Thanks to the internet, it seems that no parent is safe from being parent-shamed. A mom can barely post anything without getting a ton of judgmental comments. However, decades ago, it seems that the rules around parenting were a lot more lax.
Take a look at these vintage parenting photos that would totally not fly by today’s standards. When it comes to parenting, and children’s safety, a lot has changed.
Not only is this kid smoking, but he just stole and crashed his dad’s car
Who is this kid and why don’t we know his name? I think his life needs to be turned into a movie about young badasses.
Just a boy and his mom and their pet lion
The mom in this photo was a veterinarian, and they only raised the lion cub for two years, but it probably still wasn’t the safest or the best idea to keep a dangerous wild animal in the same house as your children.
I guess giving beer to babies really was acceptable back then…
This baby doesn’t look to sure about taking a sip. Hopefully, dad got the hint and opted for that bottle instead.
This kid’s got an attitude as striking as that cigarette
Both this child and this chicken look like they’re ready to fight you if you try to take their smokes away from them.
What could possibly go wrong?
What year did we decide as parents that, maybe, we shouldn’t give babies sticks that are on fire to play with? Glad we came to an agreement about this eventually.
Babies need fresh air too
Baby cages like this were used in apartment buildings so babies could get some fresh air. Yeah, sorry, no matter how sturdy that cage was built, I don’t think I’d let my infant hang out in there. I don’t even know if I’d let my cat hang out in there.
Enjoying a smoke with grandma
To be fair, for a long time we actually thought smoking was good for your health, so why wouldn’t you let your kid have a puff or two? This would definitely not fly today.
So many smoking babies!
Okay, this cigarette’s not lit, and it looks like this photo may have been set up as a joke. Still, can you imagine the backlash if a mom posted this kind of photo online today?
Car seats in the 1950s basically looked like lawn chairs
I don’t know what’s worse: that this baby is sitting in the front seat, or that his car seat has no seat belts of any kind. Who invented this?
A cute photo, but a LOT could go wrong here
What if one of them falls? What if they both fall? What if they have to make a sudden stop and their baby slingshots away from them? This is definitely not a picture or a moment to recreate now.
This seems like a quick way to travel with your baby
I don’t know how big the drop was in this photo, but I would not be surprised if this baby grew up to have a fear of heights.
Here’s another vintage car seat that looks pretty useless
Notice how it’s not really attached to anything? Apparently, the mom was supposed to use her arm to stop the baby from flying out.
Thanks for the help, mom!
This mom laying down, holding a board for her son to ride his bike off of was probably very cool in her kid’s eyes, but there’s a lot that needs to be said about the safety of this activity.
It’s hard being a working mom!
This woman found a pretty genius solution for watching a baby while still working, but she’d no doubt be shamed for putting the baby in a file cabinet to sleep!
Bike seats weren’t much better
It looks like this baby has a seat belt of some sort at least, but where’s the helmet? You have to protect that little baby brain!
Who needs seat belts?
Mom’s trusty arm just works just as well, right? I seriously hope that seat belts have been added to this chairlift since this photo was taken in the 1960s.
Baby enjoying a Bud
“My mom showing off her parenting skills 1978,” said Reddit user thedumone.
I mean, it was probably still questionable back in the ’70s to give a baby beer but maybe the mom-shamers weren’t as vocal back then?
Get down from there!
This picture of kids playing from the 1950’s would surely raise an eyebrow now with the way that child is precariously hanging upside down.
In this hospital right after giving birth — THAT’S when you need a smoke the most
Reddit user rookdanger shared this shot of their mom in the hospital following the birth of their sister. A cigarette and some roast chicken — what more does a new mother need?
