10 shocking parenting myths that are still widely practiced by parents around the world

There is no perfectly right way.

People become parents when their child is born and they have a challenging time with new parenting experiences and trying to learn how to carry out parenting methods that work. Getting carried away by expert tips, books and more, parents give in to parenting myths that cost them a unique experience they and their child would have cherished. It is quite often a fact that a lot of these parenting tips out there may not work. u/BITE_AU_CHOCOLAT called on users in a Reddit post requesting them to share parenting myths that many parents still believe. In an exceptional revelation with over 5.5k comments, parents are astonished by the many tricks revealed that do not work. Here are the top 10 myths that are disproven but parents still believe.

1. Allergies and allergens are enemies

Avoid giving your child these foods until they are much older to prevent allergies. It has been proven over and over that exposing your child to traditionally allergy-prone foods in tiny amounts when they are younger drastically reduces allergy potential. u/UsesCommonSenses. Studies have shown that the route of allergen exposure is quite important. Skin sensitization is thought to have a significant effect on the development of allergies. So ideally, kids should have their first exposure orally, but there are lots of surprise allergens in things our skin comes into contact with. u/thegeeksshallinherit

2. Nonverbal kids don't understand

That nonverbal kids don’t understand what you say. This one is common in the autism community. u/Kwyjibo68. I work in dementia care. A lady I took care of several years ago was thought to be nonverbal and beyond the ability to understand speech. We were changing her one night, and she looked at me and said “When does school start back?” Clear as a bell. I was in college at the time. u/bookishkelly1005. I have taken care of many nonverbal dementia patients, oh yes they can most definitely hear and process your words. u/tkkana.

3. A child needs to master a first language before they start the second

A child shouldn’t be exposed to a second (or third) language until they have mastered their native language. I’ve heard this so many times from people who have no idea about multilingualism. u/lrbdad626. I've heard ECD professionals say that it's even better for them to learn sign language before they master speaking! I've never heard this one before. u/AnthropOctopus. Yup, I learned English first but I could speak, read and write French before I could read or write in English. Because of this I was able to add Spanish in my thirties and am slowly getting Japanese in my forties. u/amplesamurai

4. Dads don't have parental instincts like mothers

Dads are more than babysitters. It's been 20+ years since I was a single father, but the attitudes towards men and parenthood haven't changed as much as they should have. Don't ask a dad if he is giving mom a break today. Don't assume dad doesn't know how to settle down their child. Don't stare at a dad at the park when the dad is there with his kid(s). And can businesses install a change table in the men's washroom? u/keiths31

5. Holding babies often will spoil them 

Picking up your baby too much will spoil them. Pick up a crying child and meet their needs - sometimes which is just a need for comfort and bonding with their caretaker. u/laurenderson. I had a lovely neighbor who told me, "No one looks back on their lives and says they held their baby too much. Go ahead, pick 'em up.' u/Louloubelle0312. My mom always said it’s impossible to spoil a baby, so as long as you aren’t driving yourself crazy, go for it. u/Marillenbaum

6. Kids' resilience is the green card to avoid support and discussion

Kids are resilient and will get over stuff without it correctly being addressed. No, we remember everything in our tiny and impressionable brains. u/Pleasant_Tooth_2488. Kids are resilient, but that doesn't mean they don't need counseling and support. Remembering something and being influenced by it doesn't make someone not resilient. Being crippled by it means someone failed to provide the appropriate level of help. I'm referring to the general idea that children are fragile little ornaments that can't be talked to like humans until they hit the double digits. u/MostlyChaoticNeutral

7. Making kids hold hands after a fight fixes the rage

Making your children hold hands (after they've been fighting with each other) will bring them closer together. No, more often than not, the reality is that it will drive them further apart and precipitate resentment. u/DEVILDORIGHT My parents used to do the opposite: whenever my sis and I came running to them while fighting, they'd ask if we should just get some knives and solve it that way. I have no idea if that's what I'd call good parenting but at least I've got a really good relationship with my sister! u/_Me0w_Master_

8. Children must sleep only in silent and calm settings

Don't tip-toe in silence around your baby when they're asleep. Yeah, sure you'll wake them up once or twice, but teaching the baby to only really sleep in absolute silence is setting yourself up for many years of problems, not to mention what it does for them (insomnia, etc.) Same for darkness, etc. You want your kid to be able to sleep through you having some friends over without having to all whisper to each other. Trust me. u/ledow

9. Parents give medication because they can't handle their child

If you give your children medication you're a lazy parent who doesn't want to "deal" with your child's behaviors. Hear this a lot in ADHD circles. Truth is in most cases not medicating can do more harm than good. Also, why would you knowingly force your teenager to go through severe depression, anxiety and hallucinations when you can ease all of that with medication and therapy? Some kids need medications to get by in life just like some adults do. u/polkanarwhal

10. Parenting duties end after the child is 18 and they must move out

You only have to put up with them for 18 years and can kick them out as an adult. Maybe millennial parents forgot how traumatic that was. Kids today can't survive without financial support at least. Parents, listen up: Kids are a lifetime commitment. you can't cut off your child unless your life depends on it. u/MangoSuccessful1662. A month ago in the supermarket, I saw an elderly couple, probably in their eighties. He had a brain surgery scar. She was pushing a stroller with their very disabled adult son in it. You never get out of being a parent. u/Haebak