10 Things I Was Told as a Child That Just Aren’t {Even Close to Being} True!

As a mom, I have found myself saying some really ridiculous things.

And with a little perspective, I can look back and see how I was TOLD some really ridiculous things!  Obviously, being put on the spot as a mom without the full details can be traced back several generations.

This conversation today is inspired by BAND-AID® brand bandages as I have partnered up with them to bring you the truth about some crazy myths.  One of the things I was told as a child is a long-standing myth that we are taking on!  <—check out #3.

Wait!  These Things Aren’t Really True!

If you cross your eyes, they will stay like that.

I remember being about 6 years old and trying really hard to cross my eyes.  I would concentrate really hard and stare at my nose.  But in the back of my mind, I thought I was getting away with something…like I was cheating fate.  No matter how much I practiced, there was never a time when my eyes actually stayed that way!

Step on a crack and break your momma’s back.

How did this ever start?  Who was the first person to say this?  And how in the world did it become common knowledge?  I declare that it is completely false.  At no time in the history of the world has a crack-step resulted in a mother’s bodily injury!

You need to air out a wound!

As a kid, I adored wearing BAND-AID bandages.  They were always a comforting hug to a traumatic situation.  But before I got too cozy, I would be instructed to remove the bandage as soon as the bleeding stopped…to air out the wound.  I was told that a scab was a positive sign of healing – incorrect!

Imagine my surprise in Physical Therapy school wound care classes, when I learned that keeping a wound covered with a Band-Aid is the best way to facilitate healing and that scabs actually result in scarring and slow down the healing process by creating a barrier between healthy skin cells.

Research shows that 85% of consumers are not treating their wounds correctly – so don’t get fooled by this myth and keep those cuts covered!  A covered wound decreases the chance of scarring and has less chance of infection!  Covering is a no brainer once you have the facts.

If you swallow watermelon seeds, they will grow out of the top of your head.

I grew up back in the days of non-seedless watermelons.  This was one of the most troubling pieces of information…I mean, how can you properly eat watermelon and avoid 100% of the seeds?!

Cracking your knuckles will cause arthritis.

I realize that cracking your knuckles is an annoying habit to parents, but linking a silly habit to a chronic disease?  That just seems severe!  It is very unlikely that any doctor has uttered the words while shaking her head, “if only you had stopped cracking your knuckles earlier”.

If you throw your gum under a car tire, it will fix any flats.

This one is from my husband.  His mother had told him this for as long as he could remember.  He just took it for gospel truth until one day that he remembers vividly as he was walking through a parking lot at the age of 22 and it dawned on him that he had been duped!

All the vitamins are in the crust.

This notion has been perpetuated by caregivers desperate to get little mouths to eat the crust too.  Logically, we have to consider the fact that there is just no way that during the baking process all the nutrients migrated outward!

If you sit too close to the TV, it will mess up your eyes.

In my house this legend was told with hand motions that lead me to believe that I would have zig-zaggy vision.  All I could envision was that test pattern screen being forever embedded in my eyeballs.  It was accompanied by that really annoying static sound.

If you go out in the cold with a wet head, you will catch your death.

I grew up in Michigan and Nebraska.  Both are known for their harsh winters.  I remember the first time I dared venture out of the house with wet hair and cheated death.  I found that my hair froze quickly into clumpy sheets, but I remained very much alive.

 

It takes 7 years to digest gum.

Although most gum contains resin that isn’t fully digested, this old wives’ tale over-estimates the gum’s digestive journey by about 6 years and 363 days.

 

It makes me giggle to think of how many parents, grandparents & caregivers throughout history have said some of these things out of exasperation!  Sometimes it was ignorance and sometimes it was because we just needed to elicit a specific response.  What crazy things have YOU said?  Please share them on our FB page – we would love to hear!

To find out more about my favorite myth of airing out a wound, please check out the Myths About Protecting Cuts and Your Skin on  the BAND-AID brand website.

Now I know, I will always be prepared!  Personally, I love the new Oh Joy! colorful and artistic bandages.  They are so pretty that I have hidden them to use myself!  My youngest really likes the Finding Dory bandages – they are just fun enough to help decrease the pain of a scratch and he will be happy to keep these on until his wound has healed!

 

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