Parenthood. It’s all about patience, compassion and unconditional love. Oh, and lies. Lots of lies.
Turns out, being a parent is surprisingly deceitful. Whether you’re trying to placate your kid, or your just bluff your way out of a question you don’t know the answer to – mums and dads are always telling lies.
People have taken to social media to share all of the fibs their parents used to spout when they were children – using #LiesYourParentsToldYou – and you will probably recognise a lot of these untruths.
Some are bigger than others, but all of the lies stuck with us – some of them we believed for years.
‘Driving a car with an interior light on is illegal,’ wrote one – a perfect example of a parental lie that lots of us believed to be true well into adulthood.
‘*At relative’s house* “We’re going home in five minutes, hold on,”‘ tweeted another.
‘If you tell me the truth I won’t get angry,’ added another – we definitely heard that one a few times when we were kids.
“Driving a car with an interior light on is illegal.”
— Amanda (@Pandamoanimum) June 20, 2019
“We’ll go in 5 minutes baby I’m just talking to a friend” will we fuck maw weve been here 30 minutes as you talk shite with moira#LiesYourParentsToldYou
— deejay, whom creature (@DeejayStriddle) June 20, 2019
#LiesYourParentsToldYou the ice cream van plays music when they’re all sold out
— Mrs P (@HelenElizzy) June 20, 2019
Lots of the lies seem to be about parents avoiding buying their children ice cream, the length of car journeys and what really happens if you swallow chewing gum.
Christmas is another hotbed of deceit for parents – who like to use the threat of Santa’s watchful eyes to get their kids to behave.
‘If Santa hears you up or if you go down stairs before us on Christmas Day all your presents will disappear!’ wrote one woman on Twitter.
‘If you don’t go to sleep Santa won’t come, and you’ll get no presents,’ added someone else. This Santa threat is a seriously common theme.
Laura’s parents took this idea one step further. They told her that there was ‘some sort of aerial across the field from our house and they told me that was Santa watching me.’ Not creepy at all.
#LiesYourParentsToldYou
You can only buy ice cream on a Friday. pic.twitter.com/HFvKp77Siu— SixRocksWest (@SixRocksWest) June 20, 2019
If you go outside with wet hair, you catch a cold. #LiesYourParentsToldYou
— ????? (@unpopularsoul) June 20, 2019
That I will grow a mushroom from my body if I don’t take a bath.. and I’m continuing the tradition by telling the same lie to my kids. ?#LiesYourParentsToldYou
— ? RuBy ? aRMy ?[s/h] (@TaeAmoChurros) June 20, 2019
The hashtag also highlighted one of the most damaging parental lies of all – a lie that caused distress and great pain every time it was uttered: ‘dinner’s ready.’
But is it actually mum? If I go and sit at the table right now – will there be food waiting? Yeah, didn’t think so.
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