Growing up we’ve always heard our parents telling us not to do something because there are some consequences of those actions, aka old wives tales. Don’t we love them? I made a list of the old wives tales that my mom used to tell me that are completely false. Some of them are just plain funny and some I will use it to my son.
- When eating orange, don’t eat the seed because it will grow on your head. I really have no comment on this. She could have said not to eat the seed or I might get choked and it would’ve made a little more sense.
- Swimming and eating vegetable makes you taller. The truth is your height is determined solely by your genetic. If you’re 5′ 1″ tall and your husband is 5′ 6″ chances are your kids will likely be short. If the mother is short and the father is tall, your kids can be a mix of both. My dad is 5′ 9″, my mom is 4′ 11″, my older brother is 6′ 1″, younger brother is 5′ 9″ and I’m a 4′ 11″. Certain activities like swimming and eating a good nutrition food do help boosting your height, but only to a small percentage. The funny thing, I found out about this when I took biology class in college. Clearly eating vegetable didn’t help me at all.
- Carrot is good for your eyesight. I found out about the truth while reading yahoo news. Sure carrot does have vitamin A that is good for your eye. However you have to eat plenty of carrots that turn your skin orange in order to get the benefit of it. Some people like me were born to wear glasses. It’s called astigmatism.
- Don’t swallow gum, it takes seven years to pass through your digestive system. Totally false, but swallowing gum is nasty anyway.
- Eating chocolate causes acne.
- Reading in a dim light and watching tv too close cause a bad eyesight. Reading in a dim light and watching tv too close don’t harm your eyesight, although it does cause eyes to be fatique.
I know for sure that I will be using the “eating vegetables will make you taller” myth on my son to get him eating vegetables. Anyone else want to share your old wives tales?
2 Responses to “The Old Wives Tales”
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Filled Under: Parenting
February 1st, 2010 at 1:51 am
My Mom used to tell me that eating any fruit seed will have whatever fruit I ate grow inside my tummy. I used to believe it too.
She also said swallowing gum will choke me, because of the stickiness, it would stick to my throat. One time long ago I swallowed one accidentally and I got so scared I drank two whole glasses of water to make sure it didn’t get stuck in my throat.
Another thing my parents used to say it when eating rice, if I don’t finish it til the last grain, it would cause acne. If I leave 1 grain, it would give me 1 acne, and if I leave 2, I get 2. And so forth.
I don’t know if this is an old wives tale or if it’s Chinese superstition, but I grew up with my family telling me that if I’m not done eating and I stack the empty plates to make room for the food you’re still working on, your debts will get stacked high too.
Also, last one, I promise… if you’re planning on traveling by boat/ship or anything in water, and you eat a fish, you’re not supposed to turn it over once you’re done with 1 side. You’re supposed to take off the bones and eat the bottom side. Because if you turn it over, the ship/boat or whatever you’re on will topple over and turned upside down.
There are others, but I can’t remember them now…
February 1st, 2010 at 7:16 pm
That is soo funny! Thanks for sharing this, you just made my day.