Joining Carole and friends for Three on Thursday, today with Three Lies My Parents Told Me. Just to clarify, my parents were not evil people, sitting around thinking up falsehoods to feed my sister and I, but they did tell me things that I later learned were completely untrue or meaningless rules. I figure that they were basically things Parents Had To Tell Their Kids In the 50s and 60s.
1. Just Ignore Him and He Will Leave You Alone
My grandmother sewed several dresses for me when I was in first grade, and they all had pinafores, white apron-like garments that were worn over the main dress underneath. I sat next to a boy in the lunch room that liked to grab my pinafore and use it as a napkin to wipe his mouth on. This really upset me because I loved those dresses. My grandfather nicknamed him George Mouthwiper and my mother told me to just ignore him and George would leave me alone. It did not work, and the only reason George stopped was because he moved when we were in second grade.
2. You Think Too Much and If You Keep Asking Questions Nobody Will Marry You
I was the kind of kid who asked a lot of questions and wondered about many things. I'm pretty sure my parents said this in an attempt to curb my endless questions. I do remember being a little concerned when I was in second or third grade that I wouldn't be getting married, but quickly got over that. Can you imagine anybody saying this to a child today?! It's pretty laughable (and John doesn't seem to mind too much).
3. Only Barbarians Have Pierced Ears
My father was fairly strict and felt very strongly that proper young ladies should not have their ears pierced. He asked me if I wanted to be seen as a Barbarian every time I brought it up. When I went away to college, one of the first things I did was sneak out and get my ears pierced. (I was a daring rebel!) I was petrified that he would see the "Barbarian holes in my ears" when I came home at Christmas, so I removed my earrings and only put them back in when I was safely back at school. He did finally discover the truth after my freshman year, but just scowled in disapproval. The whole ear-piecing thing backfired on him though; now I have three holes in each ear lobe and in later years I used to tease him that he made me do it with his restrictive rules.
Someday I may ask my own kids about the lies/ridiculous rules I told them. I'm sure they won't be able to think of any. :-)
Head on over to Carole's for more Three on Thursday thoughts.
What a great and original topic you came up with this week! I remember my grandmother telling me, when I was about 8 or so I think, that it was a good thing I had a great personality because I wasn't very pretty. Womp womp.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure they meant well, but my goodness -- those are some real whoppers!
ReplyDeleteMy parents told me similar lies. I was locked in battle for a couple of YEARS before they let me get my ears pierced (finally for my 14th birthday). I had to have a similar battle to get wire-rimmed glasses -- and then . . . contacts. My grandmother told me that I'd never get a boyfriend if I was smart. (Be quiet, be pretty, and don't look smart.) (I know, right???)
ReplyDeleteSuch an entertaining list! The first one... yes, they told me that too. And I may have been telling my girls the same a few times, though I never really believed it. Sometimes it helps to ignore bullies, but punching them in the face works better ;-)
ReplyDeleteI think the advice to defend myself would have worked much better!
DeleteWhat an interesting topic, Bonny - I'm not sure what likes my parents told me, but I did have to wait until my 16th birthday to get my ears pierced (and I'm pretty sure my sister was 12 when she got to).
ReplyDelete*lies!
DeleteMy parents were pretty laissez-faire with me, I realized as I got older. They never told me anything like this. As a matter of fact, my mother used to say that smart is always better than pretty. Maybe they were worried we were so smart we would figure it out if they lied to us?
ReplyDeleteAlso, George Mouthwiper? Great nickname, but my cousin was that kind of kid. My mother used to say, "Well, Aunt Helen [his mother, my father's sister] says he's sick," and even as a little kid I used to respond, "Oh he's sick alright!" At least you moved away from yours ...
Well, this is certainly food for thought, Bonny! I can't think of any lies off the top of my head, but I am sure they existed. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and I think parents are often at a loss to explain the unfair and random nature of life. And kids are so inquisitive!
ReplyDeleteI'm sure I may have told Dan to ignore someone and certainly I should have known that would not work! (Wishful thinking?) Great post Bonny!
ReplyDeleteMy parents told me the same thing about pierced ears and, like you, I went out and got them pierced my first week at college! I went with two friends whose parents told them the same thing, it was in a back room at a jewelers. My roommate went first, got up from the chair and fainted. We each stepped over her, had our ears pierced, then shook her awake and walked back to campus. We felt like we did something illegal!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to hear a great ear-piercing story from a fellow "bad girl"!
DeleteThe worst lie my mother ever told me was when she saw me hug my boyfriend when he dropped me off at home. I was 18, living away from home, but she still told me that a hug like that is where babies came from (?!!!!)! I pierced my ears on my 20th birthday. My parent were very displeased. Two of my sisters never did pierced their ears.
ReplyDeleteI'm embarrassed to admit it but I was probably close to 20 before I realized there wasn't really a law that said the heat had to be turned off by April 15th and not turned on before November 15th. Thankfully my parents were okay with ear piercing - as long as I waited until I was 19 to do it.
ReplyDeletenumber three is hilarious, if only they could get a good look see to today's generation :) I asked a ton of questions and someone married me, thank God! Loved this post Bonny :)
ReplyDeleteMy mother-in-law helped me get my ears pierced on a visit in the early 1970's. Hers were pierced, but she said when growing up in the New Orleans area (many, many years ago) 'nice ladies didn't have pierced ears.' lol
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