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People Online Recall Debunked Advice And “Facts” From Parents During Their Childhood (24 Stories)
Article created by: Monika Pašukonytė
When I was a child, I was given a lot of advice, both useful and not so, from parents and adult relatives. About how one should or shouldn’t behave in different life situations, about what would be right and what would be wrong, and even if some advice looked completely strange in my eyes, I trusted the life experience of adults. As it turns out, I trusted in vain.
Years and decades have passed, and now, looking back at everything I was told, I am well aware that many of these pieces of "worldly wisdom" were, in fact, either completely wrong or simply manipulative. However, as we can see from this list of ours, I was not the only one...
More info: Reddit
- Read More: People Online Recall Debunked Advice And “Facts” From Parents During Their Childhood (32 Stories)
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#1
Eat everything on your plate because there's starving children in Africa. Also had to sit at the table until everything was eaten off your plate.
RELATED:
#2
'Boys are mean to you because they like you.’ Great, thanks for normalizing toxic relationships early.
#3
If a girl won’t go out with you, keep trying. I think that’s a huge part of why women are getting sick of men that won’t take no for an answer.
#4
"Don't talk back to adults" now I see how that conditioned me to accept authority without question, even when it was harmful.
#5
I’ve always been chubby/fat. My best friends mom (who was a nurse) told me the best flavor to throw up was grape. Said if I ever had to throw up to have grape flavoring beforehand and it would taste better. Didn’t realize until recently she was trying to encourage bulimia. All of her kids look like skeletons.
#6
My mom would tell me multiple times a day that "beauty is pain ." Making us pretty was her top priority, and the way she'd do my hair, the heels she'd put on my feet, being kept skinny, the tight little dresses and tights I couldnt play in, the way she'd put on mascara: all hurt. She wanted me to have her body dysmorphia so bad, she'd call me her barbie but I was never a doll, just a micromanaged child.
#7
My mom used to tell me, “when something bad happens that upsets you close your eyes and put it in a box and put that box in the top shelf of your mind and never open it again” lol lol.
#8
That my attitude was the reason my dad was dying.
I was 8.
He died earlier this year though so I guess I was being an awful child again. Oops.
#9
"Be careful when you hit 35, that's when your mom went mad. It ruined our whole family." My dad even warned my husband about it. I was already diagnosed with MDD and now feared turning 35. Fast forward to me being unhappy in my marriage at age 37 and when I asked for a divorce my spouse said "your dad called it, you lost your mind just like your mom".
#10
"If you tell anyone about what happens at home, they will take you away and you will have to live with strangers"
Edit: since this is blowing up I wanted to provide context. Alcoholic dad used a sharp weapon to almost end my mom. I remember slamming my head against the door multiple times at 8 years old to zone out the noise. For the next 25 years he continued this in different forms, enabling mom forced us to keep saving him every time. He had moments of good parenting, but couldn't control his own demons.
Moved out and doing better now - but still dealing with the demons. Hoping to fix this trauma in me and change things for my children.
#11
Nobody likes a crybaby.
Okay I won’t cry. I’ll just have hangups about expressing emotions in front of others instead.
#12
That you must respect your parents no matter what and forgive them for what they’ve done.
I actually don’t owe anyone respect, and I don’t have to associate with people who don’t respect me. I also don’t have to forgive someone just because they’re family. That just leads to cycles letting someone talk down to you and put you down.
#13
At a young age, I was very interested in being a lawyer. I don't remember why anymore, but I remember that I thought I'd be really good at it and would pretend to be one from time to time. A close family member asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up and I told him. He leaned in close and said "lawyers have to read a lot, I mean REALLY a lot." And then gave me such a discerning warning look that I then became sure I wasn't cut out to be a lawyer. Even though I was very high in my reading scores at school.
It very likely changed the trajectory of my life. I've learned to never ever do that to any kid. If they tell you their dreams, tell them how awesome it's going to be.
#15
As a teenager, I told my mom I was pretty sure I had an anxiety disorder, and she told me "let's pray about it". She didn't reach out to my school counselor, or follow up with anything after.
#16
“Girls don’t like that”. I didn’t realize my only purpose in life is being attractive to women. I guess I’ll just give up everything I enjoy until I find a mate and she approves it. .
#17
"Stop eating so much you're gonna get fat, and boys don't like fat girls." "Put some make-up on. You look like a boy." "Don't ever cut your beautiful hair! Men don't like short hair."
Thanks for all the body dysmorphia and teaching me my body belongs to men, I guess?
PS, I'M NOT STRAIGHT.
#18
We were never to call an ambulance. Lived 15 miles out of town, do not call for an ambulance. Had a 2nd degree burn freshman year of college and just suffered the night away in bed before I begged to be taken to urgent care. Doctor asked why I didn't go to ER the night before and I said we are not allowed. My mother's face FELL, she was so upset. She didn't mean it like THAT. .
#21
'I know you want to live with me now that I've left your dad, but he is sad and needs you to keep him happy'.
#23
Either
"If your mother won't act like a mature adult, you need to."
Or
"Take care of your mother!".
#24
No criticism to my mom, I still think it’s a silly bit in a lot of ways, but any time I’d get hurt and start crying she’d joke: “Do you need to go to the hospital? Do you need something amputated?” and it would get me to stop crying.
I think, among many other things, that helped teach me to really expertly suppress my emotions. Now, in my 30’s, I’m trying very hard to try to understand what I’m feeling and letting that exist so that I’m not just anxious and stressed every moment of the day.
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