The short answer is as much as you want. I remember holding my 12-hour-old son when my mother in law exclaimed: “Are you letting him fall asleep in your arms? Don’t do that, you’ll spoil him and then he won’t go down by himself!” The advice comes from all angles:

“Cloth diapers?! Why would you do that when someone invented disposables to rid those from the earth!”

“Well none of you got vaccinated and none of you are crippled from polio. Injecting kids so young just should seem wrong to anyone!

Having your own kids can really bring out all the parenting views of those around you and especially those of the parent’s own parents. “Suddenly, everyone knows exactly how it should be done (whatever “it” is). At the very least, they certainly know how they did it — or how they remember doing it, which I’ve always suspected is a very different thing.” Here are ten tips for dealing with the incessant barrage of parenting advice from…your parents.

Relational Bids Behind The Advice.

When the stream of advice turns on, be sure to hear what your parents (or in-laws) are saying behind the advice. Some times they want to be involved in the decisions and lend their expertise; other times they are just trying to share their own experiences as a relational connection point and don’t really mind if their ideas aren’t implemented. Make sure you respond to the extensions of relationship behind the advice (if that’s what’s going on).