What were you told growing up that were just pure lies!

[Magik01]

Talking about this today with a friend, apart from the obvious Santa/Easter bunny/tooth fairy.

I was that chewing gum (as in the long flat ones back in the 90s) were made of cob webs. And if you ever swallowed gum it would stay inside for 7 years. 😂

That bread crusts would make your hair curly.

Has anyone else heard these or have any random things they were told as a child?!

My gram told me if you looked in the mirror too long the devil would appear at your shoulder. I still hate mirrors and avoid them at all costs in the dark. I’m in my 50’s and know this is shit but she was so adamant I totally believed her.

Mine told me this too 😂

If you drew on yourself you'd get ink poisoning.

My mums used to go ape shit if we hurt ourselves because she would say any knock could cause cancer, I mean a bit extreme

If you swallowed chewing gum it would wrap around your heart and you would die.

If you went to bed with wet hair you’d get a headache.

If you went outside with wet hair you’d get a cold.

There’s this omnipotent old geezer in the sky who created the whole entire world in just seven days

It was six, but I agree the whole idea is ridiculous.

I wanted to go to a pop concert as a child, some boy band or other...my mum told me it was too dangerous and drug dealers would be there and would inject me against my will with heroin. I told her I didn't think that would make financial sense but she told me it would be worth it to them because then I'd be hooked.

No idea if she really believed this batshittery?!

If you don't close your eyes and go to sleep, the sandman will climb in the window and put san into your open eyes.

I shit you not...utterly twisted!

Sand not san

Forgot this one. I'm sure there's more I've forgotten too!

Tsk OP as if you believed that about the chewing gum. Everyone knows that it wraps itself around your heart and kills you. You'd never last seven years.

Although if you bite your nails all the nails stay in your stomach and kill you. So does your hair if you chew it. You end up with a big hairy killing ball in your stomach.

Maybe you're getting the chewing gum mixed up with all that?

(Not literally, I hope.)

If you go outside without a coat on you’ll catch pneumonia

@TheLightSideOfTheMoon that one is genius, I think il use that with my kids when they are a bit older 😂

So does your hair if you chew it. You end up with a big hairy killing ball in your stomach.

I always thought that one was a complete myth, but apparently in rare cases it does happen! Search for “Rapunzel syndrome” 😮😮😮

I never wanted curly hair so it had the opposite effect on me!

No - it's sitting on hot radiators that will do that!

Oops - that was to the one about sitting on a cold wall.

My dad convinced me that it was illegal to toot the car horn on a Sunday, I didn't clock that lie until I passed my driving test.

Omg @honeybushbunch I've just googled and it's true! 😯😯

www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-37573343.amp

Soz dad. (Mind, I might have been more inclined to believe him if he hadn't told me a load of other stuff that was obviously bullshit.)

If you pick your nose, you'll make a hole through into your brain, which will then leak out.

If you play heavy metal records backwards, you will hear satanic messages (I think the person who told me this truly believed it to be so, rather than told me as a ploy to put me off listening).

Eating chocolate or sweets gives you spots (this was regularly trotted out in books of the time, eg Mallory Towers by Enid Blyton).

I have always believed the one about it being illegal to turn on the light inside the car, and regularly remind my own DC not to do it. Is it really not true? 😮

Swallowing cherry stones will give you appendicitis! This was cited as the cause of my dm having her appendix out as a teen 😂

Laughing my head off at this!

That Coca Cola tastes like cold gravy (clearly DF just wanted to guzzle the lot on his own )

That biting my nails meant they'd never be 'nice'.
I broke the habit in my teens, the things grew like wildfire and still do. I reckon I strengthened them

Oh and that swallowed chewing gum would wind itself round your guts leaving you to slowly DIE.

Got round that by sticking it on the bedside table for repeated re-use until it disintegrated an unhealthily long time later...

I was told sitting with back to the fire would make me sick, if you stayed awake Xmas Eve Santa would not come to me, if you made faces outside and wind changed you would have an ugly face forever, reading in dim light would ruin my eyes and I would go blind.