15 White Lies Our Parents Made Us Believe Were Real

1.

Don’t touch a toad or you’ll get warts - Talk about cringe! To keep you from touching the ugly thing and probably to keep the poor thing safe from you, you were told not to touch a toad. If you do, you will get nasty, ugly warts on your body where it touches you. Fun fact, neither toad nor a frog will cause warts, no amphibian can. But some frogs are poisonous, so it's better to avoid them altogether.

2.

The Candy shop was closed! - Everyone in their childhood has heard this and believed it too. This is not a very heavy lie and we can understand the necessity of this lie now. But some people have been fortunate enough to catch the bluff and threw a tantrum. Not only candy stores, pastry shops, toy shops, restaurants, etc many establishments were closed down by our parents, only for us.

3.

Reading in the dark under dim light ruins eyesight - Not every kid faced this but as a young curious mind interested in storybooks, we all hear this one. The funny thing is, some parents even believed this to be true. But reading in the dark under a dim light doesn’t ruin your eyesight, according to Harvard Doctors. But it can cause eye strain and headache, so better not push it.

4.

Knuckle-Cracking will cause arthritis! - You are not really cracking knuckles but pulling or twisting joints to create space between the bones, and that expansion results in negative pressure to fill with the synovial fluid that keeps bones from rubbing together. The sound you hear is the pop of the synovial fluid filling that new space, and doing so doesn't cause damage or weakness to joints.

5.

Brown cows give chocolate milk - Well, more than 17 million adults in the USA still believe this to be true. So don’t feel stupid. You probably don’t fall in that group (hopefully). But after a few innocent years, most children figure this out on their own without the help of parents.

6.

Watermelon seed will sprout in the stomach if swallowed - Most of the population who eat watermelon swallows a few seeds with it. But as kids, it made us panic so much we used to be scared and cry (sometimes). Can’t actually figure out though why parents would spread this lie, what benefit does it provide.

7.

Sitting close to a TV screen damages eyes - This sounded very logical and scientific and the chance is, you still think it is true. Modern TVs don’t emit radiation that can damage your sight. According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, children can focus up close to the screen without eyestrain better than adults. Better not let them know about this, things can get out of hand.

8.

Crossing your eyes will get your eyes stuck - Making every possible expression with your face is a challenge kids take upon them. Crossing eyes, rolling them in every possible direction was a big important part. But it doesn’t damage your eyes and make them stuck in any way.

9.

The naughty list of Santa Clause - After a certain point, you know Santa is not real and figure out the big fat lie your parents told you. But the time is up, you were not fast enough to realize it and can’t be naughty like a child, again.

10.

If you lie, your nose will grow - To keep them from lying parents used the old Pinocchio story and though you slept alright but not without a lot of tension. You lied and waited long enough to check if your nose grew. To stop you from lying, your parents lied!

11.

Coffee is bad for a child - Kids want to grow up fast and they mimic adult behavior; drinking coffee is a mimicking technique of kids. Parents probably lied because kids would not sleep later and they would be exhausted. But some parents perhaps believed a disproved theory that coffee causes osteoporosis.

12.

Eat carrot, gain night vision! - Because kids are in love with superpowers, adults created the lie carrots let you see in the dark. Another fine way to get the children to eat vegetables.

13.

Babies come when Stork delivers them - Who doesn’t know the story of stork and babies! The story was to answer the innocent question of children, where does the baby come from? Of course, your parents could not tell you the truth.

14.

Gum takes 7 years to digest - Of course, it does not! But telling this truth will result in kids with a stomach full of gum. The environment would be more gum-free that’s for sure.

15.

Alcohol tastes terrible - Which is kind of true, but they don’t tell you it is an acquired taste. Chances are you will fall for alcohol in later life, but as a kid, you are to be nowhere near it. A lie to keep you sober!