Ah, parents .
As much as they love their kids and mean well, they’re not exactly known as truth-tellers.
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They tell many white lies throughout to get by. Things like saying the Boogeyman will get kids who stay up past their bedtime and saying that they can’t get a dog because they’re allergic.
For more lies, here are 19 things our parents told us as children that aren’t true!
That they’re allergic to sand.
This Redditor’s mother told them this while they were growing up. It wasn’t true; they just didn’t want to clean sand off of their kids and their clothes. Sand is messy, so it’s hard not to see her point.
That Harry Potter is satanic.
“She didn’t let my brother and I read Harry Potter as kids because she bought into the Satanic Panic surrounding the series. When we were older, she decided to give it another try from the viewpoint of someone who wasn’t constantly panicking about everything in an attempt to shield her young children. She loves Harry Potter now.” – u/BrittB14
That sex is a bad word.
“‘Sex’ was a taboo word in our parents’ house. We could not ask questions or comment on sex in any way or at any time, no matter what. It was as if sex didn’t exist – a subject alien to daily living.” – u/Back2Bach
That your face will “be stuck like that” if you make funny faces.
Kids should be allowed to be kids! This includes making funny faces without fear of negative consequences. It’s like when they said the Boogeyman will get us if we stay up too late!
That bread crust has all the nutrients.
“Well sure, it’s like with all fruits and vegetables, the skin is the healthiest part! It’s because when the bread is growing on the bread vines out in the bread fields, the crust absorbs all those good nutrients from the sun and the soil. It’s just science!” – u/Holybartender83
That a girl shouldn’t contact a guy first if she’s interested in him.
“It really messed up how I talk to guys I’m attracted too, because I’m 23 years old so I can do what I want when it comes to guys but I sometimes still have this mindset.” – u/hitagiss
That you have to finish everything that’s on your plate.
They would usually accompany this with, “there are starving kids in Africa!” One Redditor said that she can’t leave food behind to this day, and it’s contributed to her being overweight.
That you have to wait 30 minutes after eating before you go back in the pool, otherwise, you’ll get cramps and drown.
“We were at someone’s house with a pool. as a kid and they would set an alarm. One of those spinning ones that dings. All the kids would gather round and watch it. Tick tick tick. Not a minute too soon or death!!!” – u/MorePieForEveryone
If you hate your job, you just have to suck it up and make the best of it.
“This nugget has caused more damage to my physical and emotional well-being than anything else. You really don’t want to hear their views on staying in an unhappy, dysfunctional marriage (they’re similar).” – u/Johhnymaddog316
That turning on the interior light in the back seat will cause them to crash the car.
Parents claimed they couldn’t see if that light was on. Just like they couldn’t focus on the road if the music was too loud.
That you catch colds simply by being exposed to cold.
“For some reason I just never questioned the idea that temperature itself caused viruses, but it’s such a ridiculous notion once you think about it.” -u/SendMeNudesThough
That girls take care of babies and kids, not men.
“Sometimes I still fall into the trap it’s so ingrained in my brain. I saw a Dad at a party taking his kid to the bathroom for a diaper change and my mind went ‘he shouldn’t be doing that. Where’s his wife?’ I quickly realized how dumb that was. But it’s so drilled into my head.” – u/cuckedprincess
That men crying or showing their feelings makes them look weak.
A parent saying this to their child is extremely damaging. This Redditor points out that hiding your feelings doesn’t make you manlier. It only makes people repress their feelings and become emotionally incompetent.
That you are supposed to accept abuse from anyone in a superior position.
“If you don’t then you are a troublemaker and a shame to the family because you rebel. You will never get anywhere in life and end up alone. Be submissive.” – u/TwoAgitated1182
That you will turn “gay” if you touch a gay person.
“My father used to make me wash my hands after greeting/handshaking with my uncle (who is homosexual), like you could ‘acquire gay through touching.’ My uncle is a respected surgeon dentist.” – u/unbilivibru
That you need to maintain a positive relationship with people who don’t like you.
This Redditor’s parents taught them to be on everyone’s good side no matter the cost. By taking their parents’ advice, they tried to make many toxic friendships work.
That all meat must be cooked well done.
“I always wondered why I would have to chew steak at home like gum, but if I had it at a restaurant it melted like butter. Turns out either my mother can’t cook steak, or her second husband liked it completely inedible.” – u/TheNerdFromThatPlace
That a tree will grow in your stomach if you eat a cherry pit.
On that same note, that you will become an apple tree if you eat an apple seed. Or, if you swallow a piece of bubble gum, your stomach will be lined with the gum and you’ll starve.
That you have to eat your potatoes and veg before touching your meat.
“I guess they were trying to make me eat my vegetables but I bet I looked pretty strange on a few dates when I would leave my chicken or steak right til the end after finishing the sides.” – u/deleted
H/T: Reddit
