Other Parental Life Lessons: True or False?

[Pine]

So I was changing the batteries in my toothbrush just now and, being that I was pulling them from a bag tucked under my bed, I was thinking about how warm the battery was. The reason that popped into my mind was because, for as long as I can remember, my parents have kept their batteries tucked away in the top shelf of our freezer. When I had asked my mom why we did that however many years ago, she explained to me that cooling them increases their longevity. Finally I thought to look it up, and if this site pulling quotes from Duracell and Energizer is anything to go off of, then my mom couldn't have been any more wrong. It makes sense, too, given what little I remember from chemistry and how batteries work. A good rule of thumb is that coolness slows anything down (atoms when condensing gas to liquid, freezing to a solid), and clearly, the passage of electrons is no different.


Here it is folks: a once in a lifetime opportunity to stick it to the man. Thanks to the glorious innovation of the internet, it takes about .5 seconds for you to know whether or not those things your parents told you was a thing actually hold any merit at all. Was there any suspicious life advice that your parents ever gave you? If you fancy looking it up, is what they say at all accurate?

 

[Dusky]

"If you keep cracking your knuckles like that you'll get arthritis faster!"


Close, but no cigar.

 

[Twigdapple]

"Touching a baby bird will make the mom reject it."


"A pitbulls brain grows too large for its skull so no matter how much you love it, it will ALWAYS snap."


It's so weird thinking about it now.

 

[AutumnWolfe]

An old wives' tale is that shaving makes hair grow back thicker...which is a lie.

 

[Dusky]

An old wives' tale is that shaving makes hair grow back thicker...which is a lie.

Certainly comes back darker though.

 

[AutumnWolfe]

Certainly comes back darker though.

I think it's just natural for all hair to get darker though.


For example, even hair on peoples' head tends to be darker at the roots.

 

[confusedmai]

An uncle taught me how to whistle when I was young, and of course he told me I had to practice if I wanted to get better. Joy be my mom when I wouldn't stop whistling at the dinner table, so to stop me she told me whistling attracted snakes (because of snake flutes, I guess?). So, logically, if I kept it up then snakes would slither into the house and snatch me away.


While not exactly advice, it's just one of those things parents say to get you to stop. Silly to think about now but at the time I was terrified and hadn't whistled for years after.

 

[Pine]

An uncle taught me how to whistle when I was young, and of course he told me I had to practice if I wanted to get better. Joy be my mom when I wouldn't stop whistling at the dinner table, so to stop me she told me whistling attracted snakes (because of snake flutes, I guess?). So, logically, if I kept it up then snakes would slither into the house and snatch me away.

Funny thing about that. One time I had been practicing my flute, and honestly, that's the only time I ever remember there being a snake in the house, and it was well on its way to coming into my room. I'm sure it was just coincidental, though, because I wasn't really good at that point, I don't think.

 

[BIue]

Carrots help you see in the dark.


I was so, so horribly lied to.

 

[confusedmai]

Funny thing about that. One time I had been practicing my flute, and honestly, that's the only time I ever remember there being a snake in the house, and it was well on its way to coming into my room. I'm sure it was just coincidental, though, because I wasn't really good at that point, I don't think.

Man I tell you, if I heard of that way back when then I would've been sold on that snake fib for a lot longer.

Carrots help you see in the dark.
I was so, so horribly lied to.

Heyo! I think that myth deprives from the fact that carrots contains vitamin A (which can help eyesight in cases of v-A deficiencies; if you're not deficient, then it probably won't work).

 

[BIue]

Man I tell you, if I heard of that way back when then I would've been sold on that snake fib for a lot longer.
Heyo! I think that myth deprives from the fact that carrots contains vitamin A (which can help eyesight in cases of v-A deficiencies; if you're not deficient, then it probably won't work).

Huh. I always thought it originated from the world war- people were told it'd help them see in the dark as encouragement to eat their veggies Perhaps it is also linked to the Vitimin A!

 

[Cavil]

Freezing your jeans helps them stay fresh without washing them. We would have a garage freezer for that sole purpose. Although it works, but it doesn't get the smell out. Vodka does the trick for that. ;P

 

[Moxi]

Surprised no one has talked about the "Swallowing gum will keep it there for years" subject my dad went on about. I should look it up, but a piece of gum staying inside me until I'm 30 sounds unlikely.

 

[Rat]

Too damn many


That rats are smelly and gross and will give me the plague (My grandparents though, not my parents) When in reality, Humans spread the plague, And rats are extremely clean


That if I keep cracking my knuckles they'll get bigger into 'ugly guy knuckles' because apparently all mens knuckles are ugly? O.o


That because I wore mens t-shirts I was a lesbian. Yeah. When I was 11. My aunt told me that though, not my parents, Jokes on her because I'm pansexual


I can't think of any more right now

 

[poppet]

Even as an adult my mother tends to tell me things that may not always be entirely true, as to sway my opinion or choices on things.


But I think I've heard most of the things listed here already and then some. Especially since I lived with my great grandmother until she died in my early teens.


- Coffee puts hair on your chest. (Thank the Lord it doesn't, or I'd be covered in hair by now.)


- Brushing your teeth with baking soda makes them white. (I believe it does a little, but that it also destroys your enamel.)


- You can get a contact high from being around pot plants. *rolls eyes*


- Popping my knuckles would give me arthritis.


- The touching a baby bird thing.


- Telling someone your dreams before breakfast would make them not come true, and telling someone your nightmares before breakfast would make them come true. (Not one of those debunkers, but still something my grams told me that stuck with me for too long, lol.)


- Vinegar and baking soda will clean the world! (They actually cancel each other out and basically become water.)


- Wait 30 minutes to swim after eating. (Unless you're training for a swim comp., you aren't going to be in a debilitated state that causes you to drown.)


- If you swallow your gum it takes 7 years to pass.


- If you eat too much cheese, it will "glue" up your butt. (My mom is an interesting woman.)


Now I have kids, and things like this are f*cking endless.


My son is almost 4 months and teething, so he drools. His shirt was a little wet at the neck and my mom said that my house was too cold and his wet shirt was going to give him pneumonia. xD It's already in the 90's here outside, and my house stays at a constant 69-70F. He's not going to get pneumonia, lol.


- Holding your baby or picking him/her up when he cries is spoiling him. (The most ridiculous thing I've ever heard as a parent.)


- If you let your baby sleep in your bed, he'll never leave it. (Not only did my daughter ask to have her own bed when she was 4, and I cried btw, can you actually imagine a high schooler still sleeping with their parents? Get real.)


- Breastfeeding is fine but your baby needs water or he'll die. (LOL.)


I could go on and on.

 

[Rat]

@poppet


Oh my god the child ones. Pneumonia isn't caused by being cold, But that's something I was told constantly as a child, that because I wasn't wearing a jacket I would get pneumonia, When really it's caused by a virus. The looks on my grandmothers face when I told her that at 9 years old was hilarious.


And I cannot emphasize enough that you cannot under any circumstances 'spoil' a baby, Your babies NEED you for comfort, that's all they know, and leaving them to cry will actually make them more clingy

 

[poppet]

THANK YOU! Lol my living grandmother still tells me that I shouldn't bundle my kids up before we go outside, because if they get too hot inside and then go out into the cold they'll get pneumonia. I haven't looked into that, but didn't believe it. Who keeps their house cold in the winter so that on the days they go out, they don't get sick? Or dresses their kids outside for the same reason? Lol it just doesn't even make sense.


And I agree with the baby thing. Babies under 4 months don't even know how or understand "self soothing". It's been proven that letting a baby "cry it out" doesn't work. While they may eventually cry themselves to sleep (Which breaks my heart - have you ever cried yourself to sleep? It's horrible.) studies have shown that their stress levels still remain high. They're crying because they need you. They're babies........ Drives me crazy.

 

[Spacekitty]

"You can be anything you want"

Spoiler

Just a joke mates

 

[Moxi]

"You can be anything you want"

Spoiler

Just a joke mates

^ Me before spoiler


Don't know why but it made me remember the old "Vaporub cures everything" speech

 

[Spacekitty]

^ Me before spoiler
Don't know why but it made me remember the old "Vaporub cures everything" speech

I put the spoiler to lighten the mood


My post was too dark without it lol

 

[Zenyi]

For some reason when I was younger, I used to just lie down underneath our downing table. I'd be using my tablet or reading a book, but i'd only like to stay under the table because it was comfortable. Now, when I was younger, I was considerably tall for my age. To the point where I wished I was shorter and I would slouch to be shorter. My mother knew this, so whenever I would lay down underneath the table, she'd tell me that doing that would make me even taller, so I would rush out from underneath. Unfortunately, my cousin who was considered quite short for her age overheard this. She grabbed a blanket, a pillow and her iPad and made herself comfortable under there C:

 

[Pine]

Carrots help you see in the dark.

 

[Soul Stealer]

THANK YOU! Lol my living grandmother still tells me that I shouldn't bundle my kids up before we go outside, because if they get too hot inside and then go out into the cold they'll get pneumonia. I haven't looked into that, but didn't believe it. Who keeps their house cold in the winter so that on the days they go out, they don't get sick? Or dresses their kids outside for the same reason? Lol it just doesn't even make sense.

That first part is TECHNICALLY true, in the sense that it'll be "colder" outside. Except really it'll only FEEL colder, it won't be any colder for you or for anything but your overactive nerve cells.


People always tell me to put on another layer when I go out in 50-70 degree weather because it'll make me sick. Please. The temperature itself isn't what makes you sick, the coldness just increses your chances for it. Kind of. And I haven't been sick in a long time, with one exception BEFORE winter when it got colder and all that.

- Coffee puts hair on your chest. (Thank the Lord it doesn't, or I'd be covered in hair by now.)

Me too xD

- Popping my knuckles would give me arthritis.

I've been popping my knuckles constantly since I was 8. With no change since. So that's a definite no.


I haven't really been told much like this. Besides above.

 

[Jaye]

My dad told me to go to bed at 8pm every night, only allowing me to 'stay up' until 8.30pm so as to having some reading time. He didn't stop until I was forteen and a psychologist told him it was her professional opinion that he needed to raise my gosh darn bed time.


And my mum told me not to get caught when I stole things.


So... I think my life advice was apparently quite atypical? At least it's more interesting than "Carrots make your eyesight better".