10 White Lies Only ’90s Kids Will Remember Hearing From Their Parents

If you grew up in the 90s, your childhood probably came with a soundtrack of dial-up tones, Saturday morning cartoons, and a handful of very specific "facts" your parents swore were true. —

These weren't big, malicious lies. They were tiny, well-intentioned fibs designed to get you to behave, go to bed on time, or stop asking questions before your mom lost your mind. Looking back now, they're almost funny in how universal they were.

Here are 10 white lies only ’90s kids will remember hearing from their parents:

1. 'I have eyes on the back of my head'

"I told my kids I have eyes on the back of my head so I can always see what they're doing or what's happened when I'm away."

"Some lies stick with you forever. My six-year-old still believes I actually have eyes in the back of my head."

2. 'This restaurant only allows well-behaved kids'

Well behaved child smiles while eating Russamee via Shutterstock

"I tell my kids that most restaurants have a policy that misbehaving children have to leave immediately. They've always been really well behaved at restaurants because I remind them of this often."

3. 'The store/park is closing'

"When I want to leave a store or park before my son is ready, I tell him they're closing, and we need to leave so they can lock the doors. Occasionally, I get the store clerk to play along."

4. 'Trolls love to eat loud children'

"Recently, my four-year-old, Molly, was throwing an epic screaming tantrum in the parking lot. She was standing very close to a metal grate in the pavement.

So I told her she had better quiet down or the Trolls would come up and eat her. Everyone knows that Trolls love deliciously loud children. She snapped her mouth shut and jumped in the car, wide-eyed with fright."

5. 'If you sit too close to the TV, you'll ruin your eyes'

"Every parent said it. Every kid ignored it."

6. 'It's illegal to swear'

"I told my much younger brother that it's illegal to swear before you turn 16. He believed it for a few years."

7. 'Even snakes poop in the potty'

"I told my kid that even snakes poop in the potty when I was trying to get him out of diapers and using the bathroom regularly."

8. 'Your toys/pet went to live on the farm'

Pinocchio kid's marionette toy hanging by strings Turgay Koca via Shutterstock

"I tell my kids that I have no idea what happened to certain toys (that I got rid of). Even worse is when their pet cat died, I told them it went to live a nicer life on a farm."

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9. 'Nemo was kidnapped because he didn't listen to his dad'

"Every time something bad happens in a Disney movie, I tell my kids that it's because they didn't listen to their parents. Nemo was kidnapped because he didn't listen to his dad about staying close by. Ariel's dad got turned into a slug because she didn't listen. Merida's mom was turned into a bear because she didn't listen. You get the idea."

10. 'There's a gift shop at the end'

"My usually honest-to-a-fault parents used to drag my sister and me on long hikes. I remember being told there was an air-conditioned gift shop at the top of one particular mountain. They lied."

Bryn Palmer is a podcaster and mother of two. She shares bits and pieces of her family’s story on her personal blog, Her Own Wings, and has a weekly birth story podcast where moms come together to share their birth stories.