151 editors note this article originally appeared on babblecom it has been reprinted here with permission the walt disney company is the parent company of both abc news and babble mother knows best right or maybe the saying should be grandmother knows best when it comes to raising kids it seems grandmothers always know the right way to do things just ask my mom it seems the wisdom gained through my 40 years of life experience is not nearly enough to hold a candle to the wealth of knowledge that is my mother according to my mom here is a short list of things i am doing wrong as a parent 1 screen time whenever my children bring up television my mother cringes yes my toddler already requests blues clues reruns despite the fact that i can vividly remember watching tons of wwf wrestling and playing hours of computer games as a kid my mother is adamant that screen time is evil im sorry mom but the ipad is an excellent babysitter in a pinch 2 outdoor play when talking to my mother it seems the opposite of screen time is outdoor play and if you ask her my kids dont get enough of it i do make an effort to get at least one walk or playground visit with them in each day unfortunately i cant let my kids play outside unattended for hours on end like we did growing up at least not yet 3 any contraption that keeps a baby in one place my son is almost 2 years old and is always on the move sometimes the pack n play is a lifesaver not cool according to my mother little boys need to run and play she likes to say im sorry but mommy likes to pee without the house falling down so sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do more on babble the middle years when youve officially moved from child to caregiver i spent my 20s trying to escape living near my parents then i had kids an open letter to me and my wife in 30 years 4 cosleeping this is the ultimate parenting fail according to my mother whatever you do dont let them sleep in your bed she said well give me a big red f on my parent report card because my 6yearold daughter has slept with me and my husband since she was 2 years old with my son recently going through a finicky sleep stage i was tempted to add another person to our family bed dont worry mom it didnt happen 5 germ barriers although my mom is not against items that keep germs away aka grocery cart covers disposable travel placemats or restaurant high chair protectors she is definitely not for them and i quote they have an immune system for a reason yes yes they do thank you for reminding me or this gem you know they are going to be exposed to