9 lies our parents told us as children - MumsVillage

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9 lies our parents told us as children

Parents are always right until they are not. Sometimes they lie to you because they want to protect you. Sometimes they lie because they can and sometimes they just pass on truths they believed as children.


Parents lie

Here are some common myths we heard growing up, that we need to bury.

  1. Sitting close to the TV will ruin your eyesight.

This myth has been around as long as TV has been. The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) says that kids can actually focus up close without eyestrain better than adults. (Our pediatric eye specialist can tell you a lot more about other myths related to eyes).

This would explain why they like to be close to the TV or prefer to hold whatever they are reading up close. There is also the possibility that your child could be shortsighted.

Parents lie

2. About reading in the dark ruining your sight? It won’t necessarily ruin your eyesight but will definitely cause eye strain and give you a headache. It is advisable to have your reading light shine directly onto the page to help with eye strain.


3. If you cross your eyes or flip your eyelids they will stay that way.

Parents lie

In good news, your face muscles are elastic and thus are built to return to their original shape.


4. Don’t jump over people’s shins because you’ll stunt their growth.

It’s time to forgive your brother for the numerous times he did this to annoy you. Turns out your height is determined by a number of unrelated factors.

These include genetics, if you had any chronic illness as a child and of course what kind of nutrition you got.

Parents lie

5. If you pop your knuckles, you’ll get arthritis.

This habit is neither harmful nor beneficial. According to WebMD, Joint/knuckle popping, “cracking” can result from a negative pressure pulling nitrogen gas temporarily into the joint, such as when knuckles are “cracked.” This is not harmful.


6. When you stand while everyone else around you is seated (especially when eating). You are sucking their blood.

Ehhh…Only vampires can do this for certain.


7. The Five second rule:

Parents lie

We’ve all heard it, if food hits the floor and you snatch it up in less than five seconds, it’s safe to eat. That’s incorrect, Science shows that bacteria can actually transfer to food in less than a second.


8. If you swallowed fruit seeds…

You will have a tree germinate in your stomach and grow out of your ears. Sorry to disappoint you…or happy to reassure you, seeds need air, soil nutrients, and water to germinate. Also like everything that lands in your stomach, what is needed is digested and the rest you take out in form of poop.


Parents Lie

9. Or if you swallowed gum, your intestines would get glued together.

Please refer to 8 above. Fret not, nature’s got you.



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What Mums Think.

  1. Noni B says:

    All lies…..All LIES…..Then we pass the same “myths” to our kids. This will go on and on …… Oh well, the lies shaped me.

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