8 Lies Our Parents Told Us That We Believed For An Embarrassingly Long Time

Our parents, our grandparents, and sometimes even our teachers would have to tell us things to make us do what was best for us. But sometimes, they seemed to have told us a bunch of lies that were just nothing more than downright false.

Sure, it's understandable when they need to make sure we eat our veggies or go to bed early enough so we aren't cranky the next day, but honestly, some of the things our parents said were just completely false for no reason.

I don't know why they have to lie to us. I mean, I guess because we were unreasonable children who wouldn't listen to their logic, but you know what, there is a limit. Some of the stuff that our parents told us were totally out of left field.

People on Reddit shared some of the biggest lies that their parents told them, and we're here to help you come to terms with all the false facts your parents pushed at you for years.

Let's get started. Some are harmless and sweet, but others are pretty crazy.

Big "marshmallows" in the field

Reddit user DaMeLaVaca said their parents gave them some false information about what they later found out were haybales. "The big round haybales covered in white plastic were where marshmallows came from. My family literally told me that these were marshmallow farms."

Sorry to disappoint you, but those are just hay. They are actually wrapped before drying so that they can turn it into silage which is used to feed animals in the winter but it needs to retain the moisture. No giant marshmallows anywhere!

Empty threats every year

Every year, the teachers would tell us that we needed to smarten up because our high school teachers or college professors weren't going to tolerate our shenanigans, but instead, the older we got, the more freedom we felt.

One Redditor said, "'Your college professors will fail you for packing up early.' Flash forward to college age when you can just walk out of the room in the middle of class and no one cares."

They'll be other kids there

I know that babysitters can be expensive, so sometimes our parents had to bring us along when we'd have rather stayed home. But hear me out, did they have to lie to us? Whether it was going to a weird function with their work friends or heading out to some restaurant because they had a meeting, the lie that there would be other kids our age to talk to was always an annoying one.

Why not just be honest and say, no, bring a book? It wasn't just me that this happened to. One Reddit user said that her mom dragged her out to show her off to her friends. "[My mom] was basically one of those mothers that everyone likes to complain about," the Reddit user said. "The ones who just won't leave little Suzy at home because she's so well behaved and would love attending a 6 hour long evening of grownup stuff and ends way past her bedtime."

Those aren't the only lies we've been told...

Bathroom false facts

Airplane bathrooms are kind of a mystery when you're young, but one user's confusion lasted until they were old enough that it was embarrassing. The user posted their shameful secret.

"I was told that when you go to the bathroom on a plane and flush, your poop literally falls down but it all falls apart into small pieces before it hits anyone.

I didn't find out the truth until I was 24. I went on a trip with my 2 best friends and they were confused as to why I was busting but refusing to go to the bathroom. I told them I had to wait until the plane hit a certain altitude so I don't attack someone underneath..."

Bread Crusts are good for you

I don't know why, but parents always tried to insist that we ate the crusts of our bread. Even to this day, I don't fully understand why. I mean, I don't avoid it the way I used to because it's just wasteful and too much effort to avoid, but when we were kids our parents would tell us anything to make us eat them.

Multiple Redditors experienced these lies. One user said, "My Nana told me it would put hair on my chest if I ate it."

Another user had a slightly different reason for eating their crusts, but ironically it still involves hair. "I was told it would make your hair curly," the user said, but they weren't the only one whose parents told them that same thing.

Brothers were sneaky about bugs

One users experience might be pretty unique, but it's too funny not to share. Their brother played a prank on them that lasted for years.

"My brother convinced me that the sound of cicadas in the summertime was actually the sound of the sun’s rays beating down on Earth. For years I believed him and would comment on how it “sounds” really hot outside. Our parents are deaf so they just went along with it."

But the worst ones are the ones that last until you are too old for it to be reasonable anymore...

Driving lights

The lights in your car are not illegal. That's right, your parents lied to you. So many times my hands would be swatted away from the little switch that would turn on the light so I could read something quickly but my mom always said it was illegal. Apparently I am not the only one.

One user only realized it recently. "Driving with my husband and I was trying to read something in a book in the dark. “Why don’t you just turn on the light?” he suggested. I was shocked this was allowed."

While now that I know it's not illegal, it really is annoying to have it on when it's dark out. It's so hard to see outside when the light is shining into your mirrors. So best to just leave them off, but at least now we know we won't be arrested!

Poisoning ourselves

Who else remembers drawing all over themselves when they were kids? I know I sure did. I was constantly covered in my hand drawn "tattoos," at least until my dad told me that all the ink was going to make me sick.

What was worse was when I accidentally got the tip of a pencil stuck in my hand and everyone said I would get lead poisoning. Turns out pencils don't use actual lead, but I'm not the only one who believed it at the time.

"I have a piece of pencil graphite still lodged in my palm from the 7th grade (trying to imitate tech decks with a pencil). I was so relieved when the doctor said not to worry about it. Now it's kind of fun to show people." One user wrote.

See, I'm not alone.

What crazy lies did your family or friends tell you when you were a kid?

Source - Reddit