How many questionable things were you told by parents and other authority figures only to find out years later there was zero truth to it? Back then there was no way to verify information without doing your own research, and no 10-year-old is going to spend their Saturday at the library trying to find out how long it takes chewing gum to digest when they could be with their friends at the mall. Say what you will about the internet, there’s something incredibly satisfying about being able to fact-check your parents (or anyone, really) in real time instead of spending 20 years believing boys are mean to you because they like you. Here are 7 things your parents told you that turned out to be completely false.
RELATED: 5 Signs You Have Toxic Parents.
1. We Don’t Have a Favorite Child
Shutterstock
Your suspicions were correct—despite your parents telling you otherwise, people do tend to have a favorite child. According to research, “70 percent of fathers and 74 percent of mothers confessed to researchers that they definitely showered one child with preferential treatment over others,” according to sociologist Katherine Conger and NY Mag. Not cool, mom and dad.
2. Coffee Stunts Your Growth
Shutterstock Nope, sorry, this one is not true. “There is no scientifically valid evidence to suggest that coffee can stunt a person's growth,” says Harvard Health. “This idea may have come from the misconception that coffee causes osteoporosis (a condition that may be associated with loss of height). The other problem with the ‘coffee stunts your growth’ theory is that most growth occurs well before most people are drinking coffee regularly. By the time we're in our teens, most people have almost reached their full height. For girls, this is usually by age 15 to 17; for boys, it's a bit later. You can't ‘undo’ bone growth once it's complete.”
3. The TV Will Ruin Your Eyes
ShutterstockNo, sitting too close to the TV will not hurt your eyes, but it might be a sign of poor eyesight to begin with. “Sitting too close to a TV or computer screen will not negatively impact the eyes,” says vitreoretinal surgeon Ethan Stern, MD, via UT Health San Antonio. “It may, however, be uncomfortable for some individuals with farsightedness, or a condition in which items that are close to you appear blurry. When a child sits close to the TV, this could be a warning sign that the child has developed strabismus, a problem with eye alignment, or that the child may need glasses for nearsightedness or farsightedness.”
4. You Can’t Swim After Eating
ShutterstockWill it feel comfortable? Maybe not. Is it actually dangerous? No. “No major medical or safety organizations make any current recommendations to wait before swimming after eating. Swimming within one hour of eating food in adult and child recreational or competitive swimmers does not increase the risk of drowning,” says the American Red Cross.
RELATED: 4 Signs Your Parent Is Gaslighting You.
5. Wet Hair Will Make You Sick
Shutterstock
No, going outside with wet hair will not automatically make you catch a cold. “Sorry, mom, but the short answer is no,” says Carmen Dargel, MD, via the Mayo Clinic Health System. “Wet hair in a cold environment can make you feel cold and uncomfortable. But it will not give you a cold. Viruses transmitted through bodily fluids cause colds, influenza and COVID-19. You need to come into contact with the fluids to be infected by the viruses. This usually happens when people who are sick sneeze, cough or blow their noses. Wet hair won't make you more attractive to viruses and doesn't increase your chances of getting sick.”
6. Gum Takes 7 Years To Digest
ShutterstockGum is usually out of your system within 48 hours—certainly not seven years! “Folklore suggests that swallowed gum sits in your stomach for seven years before it can be digested,” says Elizabeth Rajan, MD, via the Mayo Clinic. “But this isn't true. If you swallow gum, it's true that your body can't digest it. But the gum doesn't stay in your stomach. It moves relatively intact through your digestive system and is excreted in your stool.”
7. Touching the Center Light Is Illegal!
Shutterstock
No, touching the center light is not illegal, and it won’t make the car crash—but it was probably incredibly annoying for parents who already asked you 10 times to stop touching that freaking light. So don’t get too smug about this list, because if you’re a parent, chances are your kids are going to be reading something just like this at some point, if Google hasn’t already told them what’s up.
