As kids, believing in whatever we’re told is easy – even if it doesn’t make sense! What were some of the dumbest lies you believed when you were a kid?
The Dumbest Lies
We’ve all been there. Many of us were convinced our parents were telling us the truth, from the tooth fairy to Santa Claus.
Recently, social media users shared the dumbest lies they were told as children that they so happened to believe.
A Misplaced Stuffed Animal
When a child was five years old, they lost their beloved stuffed animal – a white dog – at the airport in Miami.
The child was understandably sad about it, until a few weeks later when their mom presented them with an otherwise identical brown dog. She explained that the workers at the airport had found it and mailed it back to them, but while in Florida, it had gotten a tan.
The child believed her explanation completely for a few years until, eventually, the stuffed animal was passed down to their son, who is now a big fan of it!
War Movies Were Real Death Scenes
A child was incredulous at how realistic the death scenes in war movies seemed, so they asked one of their older brothers how it was done.
The brother responded by telling them that the people used were inmates from state prisons who had been given guns and told that if they could survive the filming process, they would be released from jail afterward.
Believing this explanation completely at the time, the child didn’t question it until they were around ten years old.
The Gator Had Gone to Live With Other Gators
A young boy with autism had a beloved stuffed alligator that he would take everywhere with him and was his constant companion for years.
Unfortunately, the fabric eventually became so worn it couldn’t be repaired anymore and was hidden from the child. When asked about it, his family told him that the alligator had grown up and gone to live with other gators.
The boy was so inconsolable they eventually found a slightly bigger green alligator for him, telling him that Gator had been living in the sewers with his friends and this had turned him green.
A couple of years later, he eventually outgrew the second alligator.
Parents Can See You At All Times
“That our entire house was covered by cork-sized security cameras and that my parents could see my every move,” one person commented.
Sounds like an episode of Big Brother, am I right?
The Babies’ Gender is Determined Down Below
A young kid had a strangulated hernia, leaving them with only one testicle. Their dad told him that if he ever had kids, they would be either all boys or all girls, as each testicle was responsible for determining the gender of the child. The kid believed it for years, even though it wasn’t true.
“I’m wondering if your dad actually believes that,” one person replied.
The Cursed Prehistoric Stone Circle
Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument that has been celebrated around the world for its unique stone circle. It was built in stages, starting with an early henge monument around 5,000 years ago, and eventually, the stone circle was up by 2500 BC.
One person shared how their sister told them that if they counted all the stones of Stonehenge, they would die – a silly lie that meant the social media user does not know how many stones there are to this day.
The Draining Monster
One child was warned by their parent that a monster would suck them down the drain if they stayed in the bathtub for too long. They believed this lie for some time, always running out of the bath as soon as they heard the draining sound.
Gain Superpowers By Reading A Lot
Influenced by the book Matilda, one child asked their dad if they could gain telekinesis by reading a lot of books. The dad confirmed it to be the case, causing the child to spend many years afterward trying to read enough in order to receive this power.
“I spent many years after that thinking I just wasn’t doing enough,” the commenter said.
Never Eat Watermelon Seeds
“If you swallowed the black watermelon seeds, a watermelon would grow in your belly,” one person said.
The Hazard Button Blows Up The Car
“That the hazard button in a car would blow the car up,” someone else said.
Pinching Gives You Cancer
A child was warned by their grandmother that pinching would give them cancer. After being pinched once during recess, the child yelled at the person doing the pinching, believing that they had just been given cancer.
The Airplane’s Eject Button
One person recounted how they had been warned by their family that the button on the armrest of airplanes was actually an eject button. As a result, the person was too scared to touch it for years until they eventually learned that it only reclined their seat.
It Costs Money to Change Radio Stations
When they were a kid, their dad gave them the impression that it cost 25 cents to change the radio station in order to discourage them from fiddling with the radio in their car. It wasn’t until they were fourteen years old that they realized the lie.
No Lights While Driving
“That you could get a ticket for having the light on in your car while driving,” one person said.
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Conclusion
It’s amazing what lies kids can believe when they are young. From stories about monsters in drains to mistaken beliefs about gender and superpowers, these dumb lies can really stick with us. Thankfully, we eventually figure out the truth and learn to look at things more critically.
This article, The Dumbest Lies Believed as a Kid, According to Social Media was syndicated and produced by TPR Teaching.
I'm an Irish tutor and founder of TPR Teaching. I started teaching in 2016 and have since taught in the UK, Spain, and online.
I love learning new things about the English language and how to teach it better. I'm always trying to improve my knowledge, so I can better meet the needs of others!
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