Growing up I’m sure most of your parents told you, “Don’t cross your eyes or they’ll stay like that!” or “You have to wait one hour before you can go swimming after you eat!” And like most people I’m sure you believed your parents when they told you these things. Well think again a recent article on CNN.com provides the proof that not only are these two myths wrong but so are ten others that every mom or dad has told their child.
Coming across this article was particularly eye catching to me because growing up I heard these sayings all the time, whether it be from my parents or my over protective grandparents. A bunch of things crossed my mind while reading about the truth behind the myths; why have these sayings been used for so long if there’s definite proof that they’re not true? Or was it perhaps that my parents just liked to watch me cringe when I ate my bread crust for the so called “vitamins” inside? Then I caught myself. I realized why they did pass on these sayings and that was for one reason, tradition. Just like my grandparents grew up hearing the sayings from their parents, my parents had to do the same, and just like my parents my brothers and I had to do the same. You could almost think of the sayings as a part of growing up, and even though they may not be true they’re always there to remind you of your childhood.
I thank my parents for telling me these sayings, even though they’re just myths, so I can pass them on to my children. Because it’s not always about what is being said but just the fact that you’re saying something. So next time someone tells you not to swallow your gum it’ll be in your stomach for seven years, just smile you know better.
I really like your post! It's weird to think that all those things you have been told for forever are not true. Everyone grows up with their parents telling them the same things so that they won't or will do what they are being told. Learning that all these saying are false kind of makes me laugh because so many have followed them for years. No young children are going to challenge if what their parents says is true, but now things like gum being stuck in your stomach for seven years have been proven might make a parents job at convincing a little bit more difficult.
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