These Redditors, who recently shared some of the worst parenting tips they'd been told — ones that sound like good parenting tips. These are the funniest, but also the creepiest and ill informed.
1. "Constantly tell your kids they're the smartest kids ever." —ninjanikki91
2. "Keep your kids super clean and away from potential allergens." —Davidjhyatt
3. "Don't let your kids fail. The worst thing we can do as parents is never allow our kids to fail. We only fail them, as parents, by never allowing them to face disappointment and are robbing them of the ability to learn some basic life skills. Let your kids fail, fall on their face, pick themselves up, and rub the dirt off." —annadrome
4. "Make up a scary lie as a consequence to get your child to do as you say, e.g. 'If you don't get to sleep, you will die!' *child proceeds to have trouble sleeping because they're scared of dying for not sleeping*" —hole_da_door
5. "Have a second child so they can babysit each other." —noob_almost
6. "My sister has the habit of buying both of my nephews presents, but she does it in a way that she thinks is fair. I mean, say it's my oldest nephew's birthday. Well, she buys them both toys so that they don't feel left out. Same for the younger one. If, say, one of them gets good grades or has done something good, they both get presents. I mean, that's awesome, but I feel that that might be a bad parenting habit since she's spoiling them both at the same time. And most of the time, the oldest fights over the younger one's toys, because he chooses something that interested him later on. So I don't think it's working." —AReverieofEnvisage
7. "Lying to your kids to explain difficult things. I get that in some situations, like if someone commits suicide, telling an alternative story may be a good idea. But for 99% of situations or questions a kid asks, a parent should respond factually".
8. "If they are throwing a tantrum, distract them by giving sweet treats or a new toy." —Divgirl2
9. "You have the right to invade your child's privacy because it's for their own good. There are specific situations where I think doing this can be condoned. But I'm talking about those parents who go through the kid's diary, social platforms, closets, everything – just because their kid is acting secretive or because the parents 'have a hunch.' Children of parents like that will grow up to be mistrusting of others, among other issues. I would know – thanks, mom. Your kid probably wouldn't act so sketchy around you if you taught them early about good communication and trust. Snooping around their stuff and not giving them their own space is not good for either of you. Trust is not a one-way deal." —mang0fandang0
10. "It doesn't matter how miserable and toxic your marriage becomes, you need to stay with your partner to keep the family together." —BreadCrumbles
11. "Stalk your child on social media to make sure they are safe." —dinosaregaylikeme
actually." —modudupup
For more head to Redbookmag.com