101 white lies you tell your children or were told???

[Andy Hamilton]

If father christmas was Dave I would never get any presents

I did not say that I don't believe in him can I still have presents please.

[chadspad]

My teacher informed me and my class, at the ages of 5, that Santa didnt exist - there were 30 odd children devastated and 60 odd parents furious!

Mum always told me that you'll get piles if u sit on a cold floor and you get worms from eating raw potatoes!

[cat]

I was told you got worms from eating sweet things before breakfast maybe it's really raw sweet potatoes!

[hedgewizard]

Nice one PD with the tooth fairy - v smooth!

My gran told me that she could tell when I was telling lies because I got a black mark on my forehead - and no, I couldn't see it in the mirror. It worked for a while because I'd make an attempt to cover my forehead or I'd shout to her from a different room. Psyche!

Oh, and pagan kids get an extension on the old father christmas thing, because if you get caught out you can explain that the spirit of the Holly King (oh, look it up on wiki) uses Mummy or Daddy to give out the presents. That's how he gets to all the children all at once!

Incidentally, did you know why the big guy wears red and white these days?

...it seems quite possible that the traditional image of Father Christmas, described in Livingston's poem and universalised by the Coca Cola Company during the 1930s, has its real origins in shamanistic rituals involving the red and white fly agaric toadstool. From climbing into chimneys and gift giving, to dressing in red and white and flying through the air with reindeers, travellers and storytellers have fused these ancient customs with other pagan traditions and imagery. As is the wont of Christianity, these pagan customs have pragmatically been adapted and integrated into our Christmas traditions.

[PurpleDragon]

Interestingly, if you go to Snopes, you will find that the Coca-Cola/Father Christmas in red link is actually an urban myth.

I believed it for ages and was quite cross with the person who told me it wasn't true, until she pointed me to Snopes. Then I just felt a bit of a tit for perpetuating myths.

[glenniedragon]

The ice-cream man only rings his bell when he's run out of ice cream! a cruel but common midland fable!

kind thoughts
Deb

[Han&Matt]

Watching TV makes your eyes turn square

If you say you don't believe in fairies, a fairy will die... (very upsetting as this was overheard by my naughty brother who made me cry by killing thousands...)

If you don't close your mouth a bee will fly in

Swallowing apple seeds will mean they grow in your stomach (and out of your ears)

Never step on the pavement cracks (this I vaguely remember as being a 'Christopher Robin' tale)

Years of paranoia!

[2steps]

Watching TV makes your eyes turn square

ahhhh yes I forgot that one

[bazil]

my gran used to say hell mend you....i thought it was mean

[hedgewizard]

Interestingly, if you go to Snopes, you will find that the Coca-Cola/Father Christmas in red link is actually an urban myth.

The link doesn't say Coke invented him - have a read!

[PurpleDragon]

Interestingly, if you go to Snopes, you will find that the Coca-Cola/Father Christmas in red link is actually an urban myth.

The link doesn't say Coke invented him - have a read!

Yeah, but the myth does. The myth says that Coke took him out of his (original) blue (?) clothes and garbed him in red as part of their advertising campaign, and everyone started using him in red, when this isn't the case. He was in red before Coke got a hold of him.

http://www.snopes.com/cokelore/santa.asp

I should have written my sentence in the original quote (above) a bit more clearly. I really must make more of an effort to be clear - sorry

[dibnah]

I was told cod liver oil was magic madicine!!

[Masco&Bongo]

If you swallow chewing gum it will grow into a tree in your tummy and out of your ears etc...

I never had chewing gum for ages because of this...

[the.fee.fairy]

ooh on the lines of chewing gum:

it takes 7 years to break down in your tummy.

And..on another note

Eating your hair will make you grow a big furball in your stomach and you'll get a fluffy belly button.

[hedgewizard]

The furball thing is true enough - it's called a trichobezoarand if they get big enough they can obstruct your bowel. Nasty.