Lies My Parents Told Me Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Joyful Elf

Santa Claus is arguably the most famous imaginary gift-bringer. Traditionally, Santa makes lists of 'nice' and 'naughty' children, and brings gifts to all the nice ones on Christmas Eve. He is known by several other names in different countries, the most famous being Father Christmas.

The Easter Bunny is in many ways the equivalent of Santa Claus for Easter, at which time he brings children Easter eggs. The tooth fairy is called upon when a child loses his or her baby teeth. Most commonly, the tooth is placed under the pillow, and when the child is asleep, the tooth fairy takes it and leaves a reward (usually a small amount of money) in its place.

As for the Joyful Elf, it's a made-up name.

Answer: No

Watching a lot of television is not going to make children's vision become nearsighted. However, it can cause eyestrain, the most common symptoms of which are headaches and sensitivity to the light. Even though watching TV doesn't usually cause permanent eye damage, television may still have other unpleasant effects (e.g., it leads to a sedentary lifestyle and it may expose children to bad role models).

Answer: Broccoli

Children are quite often unwilling to eat food the taste of which they don't like (even adults, who are supposed to possess emotional maturity, often do this). Broccoli and other vegetables are usually the kind of food this happens with, so they are attributed with miraculous growth properties by parents (e.g. "If you eat your spinach, you'll be very strong" or "If you eat your broccoli, you'll become very tall"). Of course, vegetables won't turn you into Popeye or make you seven feet tall, but they are still very beneficial, especially since kids are still physically developing.

Answer: Coffee

Coffee is occasionally portrayed as something that will prevent children from growing, because for some time it was believed that caffeine led to bone mass reduction. Even though that is not an actual effect of coffee, there are other reasons why parents might want to deter their kids from drinking it, such as possible insomnia.

Answer: 6

The concept of death is one of the most difficult for children to understand. Up to three years old, they are aware of the deceased's absence, but rather view it as abandonment. From three to six years old, they may view death as temporary and believe that the deceased will come back to life. From six to about ten years old, most children begin to slowly understand that death is irreversible, but may feel the need to personify it. After that, their perception of death will become more like that of an adult's.

(Source: MedlinePlus website)

Answer: False promise

"Maybe next time" is one of the common parental lies, but it is also one of the worst ones in my opinion. One of the reasons it is used is because kids (especially young ones) often forget they have asked for something. However, it is one of the worst lies because it is only said to avoid creating a possible scene, one that a flat-out negative answer might cause. Unlike other lies, it doesn't protect the children's feelings or encourage good habits.

It's not a bribe (which is not a lie anyway) either, since the parent isn't offering something in return.

Answer: Helicopter Parents

"Helicopter parents" are indeed called so because they like to 'hover' over their kids at all times. Of course, children need caring parents who will supervise their lives, but children with helicopter parents will often fail to develop their independence, which has led to criticism of this practice.

The first appearance of the 'helicopter' term was in the book "Between Parent and Teenager" (Dr. Haim Ginott, 1969) by a teenager who says, "Mother hovers over me like a helicopter..." (as quoted in Wikipedia), however it didn't come into widespread usage until several decades later.

Answer: Seven years

It is often said that if you swallow a piece of chewing gum, it will stick to your stomach for seven years. The truth is that chewing gum cannot be digested, but it will still simply pass through your digestive system and then it's passed out. Of course, swallowing gum is still a bad idea, if only because gum isn't food, but rather preservatives and artificial substances added to a rubbery base. So listen to your parents on this one, even if not for the reason they give you!

Answer: -arthritis

Knuckle cracking, although annoying for many people, does not cause arthritis. The popping sound is the product of a gas bubble that appears (and then pops) when the bones are distanced during cracking, rather than the result of bone grinding. Arthritis, although unrelated to joint cracking, has many painful symptoms. Osteoarthritis in particular is caused by reduced cartilage, which leads to pain and stiffness in the joints.

Answer: True

Catching a cold is more common in the winter. One reason for that is because winter winds are drier. The low humidity causes the mucus in our noses to dry and helps the viruses spread. Going out with wet hair on the other hand does not cause colds, but some studies show that when body temperature goes down, the immune system is less resistant and there's a greater chance of getting sick.