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Lies Adults Told Us
Now you're probably at the age when you realize that your parents
haven't always told you the truth. I'm not talking about big secrets. I'm talking
about those little lies parents tell their children to make the world seem
brighter, pr kinder, or less confusing. Parents lie to their kids for all sorts of
reasons - to protect them from the outside world, to keep them from harm, and
to make themselves, or their kids, feel better. However, the most common
reason they give is to protect them. And kids need protection. The
environment parents want to create for a newborn child will be quite unlike the
streets of a big city.
The tooth fairy is a classic example. The thought of losing a tooth, of
having a horrible gap in your mouth, becomes much less scary when you think
about the tooth fairy. "The Tooth Fairy", my mum said, "will be very grateful
for your tooth. She will use it to build a new house, with other children's little
teeth". It sounds a bit strange but it sounded beautiful to me as a child. And the
tooth fairy used to bring money, too, which was definitely an advantage!
And then there was Mum's explanation of thunder... Even now when I hear
thunder, it reminds me of what my mum used to tell my sisters and me during
a storm, "Don't worry, it's just God moving his furniture around". This made
perfect sense to me - after all, who else could be making all that noise in the
sky?
A few days ago, I mentioned my Mum's explanation of thunder to my
Facebook friends. It was then that I realized that other people's parents had
told them different stories. One of my German friends said that his Mum had
told him that thunder was just someone playing bowling in the sky. I asked
him who he imagined bowling up there, and he said birds, angels, and fairy
book characters. The next day I asked a colleague. Guess what she said? She
was told thunder was Winnie-the-Pooh's stomach rumbling because he was
hungry.
Or here's another example. When I was young and had a nightmare, my
dad told me to turn over the pillow before going back to sleep so I'd have nice
dreams for the rest of the night. This total lie actually had psychological benefits; after that, I always turned over my pillow after a bad dream instead of running
to my parents. I wish I could say I dropped this habit: I still do so in the night
to 'change' dreams.
Of course, now that I am almost a grown-up, I know that the real reason for
thunder is something scientific. I don't really understand it, but I know it has to
do with the weather, and air pressure, and shock waves. But it's still my Mum's
explanation that comes to mind every time I hear a clap of thunder. I think of
someone arranging his magnificently large sofas and armchairs; I think of
someone opening and closing his huge golden drawers and wardrobes. And I
find it really exciting to think that, all over the world, other people might be
remembering the stories their parents told them to make them feel safe in the
storm.
1 Parents lie to their children to make their lives happier.
2 Children need their parents' protection.
3 Every mum tells her children the story about the tooth fairy.
4 The tooth fairy usually comes at night to get the teeth.
5 The tooth fairy never brought money to the author.
6 Mum's explanation of thunder was scientific.
7 The author talked to her friends on social networks.
8 All children tell their children similar lies.
9 Bowling is a loud and exciting game.
10 The author's dad advised her to turn over the pillow before going to bed
every evening.
11 The author still follows her dad's advice.
12 When the author hears thunder, she remembers her childhood.