Babies and bathwater
Don't throw the baby out, with the bathwater.
Fair enough. Yet, what is the baby doing in water that is to be thrown out?
A solution, to a problem that should not exist.
The story is that the man of the house bathed first. Then the second most "important" person. All the way down, to the baby.
That went last, in the brown muddy water. Making it prone to be thrown out with that water.
What about, not having the baby in this situation?
Finding solutions to problems that should not exist - I would like to throw that out with the bathwater.