Kids are curious beings. They ask tons of questions about the world, and the adults around them often can’t keep up. In exasperation, some tell little lies to appease curiosity or to gain compliance with unruly kids.
The internet shares the biggest lies they heard from the grown-ups they trusted.
Moths
One user said their father told them, “Moths were the Ghosts of Butterflies.” Way to instill a healthy fear of harmless moths!
Your Permanent Record
Any minor infraction will go on *gasp* your PERMANENT RECORD. How many kids did this falsehood keep in check?
Blue Blood
Our veins have a blueish-green hint, so some folks really believe that unoxygenated blood in our bodies is blue. Whether adults tried to trick kids with this or truly believed it is debatable.
Worm Vacation
When it rains, Earthworms appear! One mom told her daughter they came up when it rains because that’s the only time they can enjoy the surface without fearing the birds who want to eat them.
Why the Waves?
Everyone watching waves crash to shore marvels at the majesty of Earth’s physics. One child asked their father what made the waves and believed for way too long that whales did it.
Competent Adults
Television shows like Sesame Street and Star Trek lead us to believe in an idealized universe where most adults are competent and respectful. The most significant rite of passage into adulthood is learning how wrong that idea is.
The Bad Guy Never Wins
Adults teach kids to believe in a just world.
The hit show Buffy the Vampire Slayer turned that trope on its head in the season 2 episode Lie To Me. Here, Buffy asks Giles to lie about whether life decisions get easier as you grow up.
“Yes, it’s terribly simple,” he replies. “The good guys are always stalwart and true, the bad guys are easily distinguished by their pointy horns or black hats, and, uh, we always defeat them and save the day. No one ever dies, and everybody lives happily ever after.”
“Liar.”
Your Face Will Get Stuck
Exasperated parents will say whatever they can to stop their kids from making annoying faces. The tried and true “Your face will get stuck that way” works for a little while.
Hard Work Pays Off
Kids are sold the lie that hard work leads to success. As adults, we learn that’s not true. Success comes from the perfect mix of hard work, sheer talent, determination, and the ingredient they never warn you about: Shmoozing.
Starting on third base also helps a whole lot.
It’s Because He Likes You
Adults failed generations of little girls by telling them their bully picks on them because he likes them. Even if it’s sometimes true, we shouldn’t teach girls that abuse equals love and should teach boys to behave.
Praying it Away
One poor soul said their deeply religious parents told them if they prayed hard enough, God would remove the disabilities associated with their genetic condition, goldenhars syndrome.
The parents blamed them for not praying hard enough when they remained ill.
College = Success
Most millennials had college drilled into them before they even started kindergarten. College was touted as the ultimate key to success, and if you didn’t go to college, you’d fail at life.
These kids went to college but took out massive loans to pay for it and are now struggling with crippling debt and the inability to find a decent job.
How to Find Your Passion and Live Your Dream Life
Your dream life is within reach. Your passion is buried deep inside of you, aching to burst free. Here’s how to rediscover your passion and life the life you always wanted.
Find Fulfillment in Life
With the hustle and bustle of daily life, we often forget to take time to do what makes us happy.
Here are 37 tips to help you live your best life.
Enjoy Your Life: Must-Have Experiences To Check Off Your List
Don’t just exist, live! Here are over 200 bucket list ideas to pursue for an epic life.
Invest in Yourself to Achieve Your Dreams
An under-rated key to happiness is investing in yourself. You’re worth the time and effort.
Here are 38 ways to invest in yourself, and most aren’t about money.
Let Your Free Spirit Soar!
Are you a free spirit trapped in conformity from society’s boxes?
Here’s how you can let your true self soar.
Source: Reddit
Melanie launched Partners in Fire in 2017 to document her quest for financial independence with a mix of finance, fun, and solving the world’s problems. She’s self educated in personal finance and passionate about fighting systematic problems that prevent others from achieving their own financial goals. She also loves travel, anthropology, gaming and her cats.