When we were growing up, we all believed in some pretty wild things. Whether it was because of a well-meaning adult, an older sibling playing a prank, or just our overactive imaginations, certain myths stuck with us for years. Looking back now, these childhood misconceptions are hilarious and a little embarrassing.
Here are some of the funniest myths that had us all fooled at one point or another.
Swallowing Gum Stays in Your Stomach for Seven Years
If you ever swallowed gum as a kid, you probably panicked, thinking it would sit in your stomach for the next seven years. This was one of the most widely believed myths, but in reality, your body can’t digest gum. It passes straight through, just like other things your body doesn’t need.
Still, the thought of having a gum collection in your stomach made plenty of kids vow never to swallow it again.
Cracking Your Knuckles Causes Arthritis
Remember being scolded for cracking your knuckles, and told, “Stop that! You’ll get arthritis”? The truth is, cracking your knuckles might annoy everyone around you, but it doesn’t actually harm your joints or cause arthritis. That “popping” sound comes from gas bubbles in the joint fluid, not your bones grinding together. But as kids, the fear was enough to make us hesitate.
If You Make a Funny Face, It Will Get Stuck That Way
Every child who made silly faces heard this warning at least once. Parents would act horrified, telling us that if the wind changed or we held the expression too long, our faces would freeze in place forever. It worked like a charm to stop kids from sticking out their tongues or crossing their eyes. It wasn’t until we grew older that we realized that our faces wouldn’t actually lock into a permanent goofy grimace.
Swimming After Eating Causes Cramps
This myth probably ruined many fun afternoons at the pool. Adults insisted that swimming after eating would cause debilitating stomach cramps, leaving kids to sit on the sidelines, impatiently counting down the minutes. The logic behind this myth was that digestion would take blood away from your muscles, making cramps inevitable. In reality, you can swim after eating without any risk, though it’s always wise to ease into physical activity if you’ve had a huge meal.
Eating Watermelon Seeds Will Make One Grow in Your Belly
As kids, the thought of a watermelon vine sprouting inside our stomachs was enough to make us spit out every single seed. This myth made watermelon seem both delicious and slightly terrifying. While it’s true that seeds can sprout under the right conditions, your stomach isn’t one of them. The digestive process makes sure of that.
The Floor Is Lava
This myth wasn’t really a lie but more of a game with serious stakes: at least in our imaginations. Jumping from couch to chair to table, avoiding the “lava” floor, was a thrilling way to pass the time. While everyone knew it wasn’t real, we played with such intensity that it might as well have been.
Swallowing a Spider While You Sleep
The horrifying notion that we all swallow several spiders a year in our sleep spread like wildfire among kids. For some, it was a fact that haunted bedtime. Who wanted to think about creepy crawlers climbing into their mouths at night?
In reality, spiders are more scared of us than we are of them, and they’re not likely to wander anywhere near a snoring human.
Car Lights on at Night Will Get You Pulled Over
If you’ve ever turned on your car’s interior lights at night, chances are someone panicked and told you to turn it off immediately. Many kids grew up believing that it was illegal to drive with those lights on, and some adults even perpetuated this myth. The truth? It’s not against the law, but the glare can make it harder for the driver to see at night.
The Tooth Fairy Is Watching
The idea of a tiny fairy sneaking into your room to exchange your lost tooth for cash was both magical and slightly creepy. But what really upped the stakes was the belief that the tooth fairy was always watching. Some kids thought she could tell if you’d been good or bad, just like Santa Claus in miniature.
Goldfish Have a Three-Second Memory
This myth had us convinced that our pet goldfish lived in blissful ignorance, forgetting everything within seconds. No wonder we didn’t interact with them much. However, research has proven that goldfish have much better memories than we gave them credit for, able to recall information for weeks or even months.
Chocolate Milk Comes from Brown Cows
For a surprisingly large number of kids, chocolate milk came straight from the udders of brown cows. This belief made perfect sense when you were little and had no idea how milk was processed. It was both funny and strangely logical to young minds. Once the truth came out, it was a little disappointing to learn that chocolate milk was just regular milk mixed with colored syrup.
You Can’t Go Outside with Wet Hair or You’ll Catch a Cold
Parents everywhere warned kids about the dangers of going outside with wet hair. The fear of catching a cold from this simple act was so deeply ingrained that many kids ran for a towel the second their hair got damp. Of course, colds are caused by viruses, not wet hair or chilly weather.
If You Step on a Crack, You’ll Break Your Mother’s Back
This silly playground rhyme turned ordinary walks into dramatic obstacle courses. It had kids stepping carefully to avoid the cracks in sidewalks. It wasn’t just a game, it felt like a genuine superstition for some.
We all knew deep down that stepping on a crack wouldn’t actually harm anyone, but the fear of being responsible for something so terrible was enough to make us leap over every line.
Santa Sees Everything You Do
All-seeing Santa Claus was aware of everything we did, we were told. It was both exciting and nerve-wracking, and we fell for it hook, line and sinker. The promise of presents for being good was enough to make us try our best to behave, but the thought of being on the “naughty list” was terrifying.
Lightning Will Strike If You Lie
Both parents and teachers often told us this as a way to keep us honest. The idea that a lie could summon a bolt of lightning was dramatic enough to stick in a child’s mind, with every passing thunderstorm feeling like a potential judgment day. While this myth wasn’t true, it certainly had a way of making us think twice before fibbing, at least until we figured out how lightning actually worked.