Every generation of parents adapt a plethora of techniques to make their jobs easier. Begging, pleading, and bargaining are just a handful of ways that adults try to persuade a child to comply with a set of rules without risking a tantrum. These methods can be effective, but occasionally it is easier for parents to make up alternative facts, or in other words, lie to their children.
Young children are more apt to believe an otherwise unbelievable lie from a trusted adult, and because of this abuse of power, McNicholas students and faculty are no stranger to believing a fib from a parent or older adult.
“I was told that my aunt who lived in Alaska had Santa’s phone number,” junior Donald Noble said. “So when I misbehaved my mom would threaten to have my aunt call Santa because she could walk to his house.”
Some of these lies were meant to ensure the safety of a child. Junior Harper Esterle was told, “If you ever push your baby sister again, she might break all her bones, and she’ll never learn to walk.”
“My grandma told me that if I ran around without shoes, my feet would grow really big like Pinocchio’s nose did when he lied,” English department chair Angie Noble said.
Senior Elyse Thaman’s parents “called the ice cream truck the ‘music truck’ and gave no impression that it sold ice cream to prevent me from running into the street.”
Additionally, lies were also told to promote healthy habits. Sophomore Tiffany Ton Nu believed that, “Too much tv will make my brain rot so I wouldn’t watch tv so much.”
Freshman Ruby Horgan was led to believe that “the police were going to arrest me if I took a popsicle without asking,” and senior Katie McCort was told that “if you swallow gum, it will be stuck in your stomach for seven years.”
Sometimes these fibs were told to make children feel as if their parent were always watching. “They sometimes threatened that they had a secret camera in every room in our house,” senior Nate Chambers said.
Freshman Jacob Klug’s mom told him that “she had eyes in the back of her head so I wouldn’t misbehave behind her back.”
Occasionally these lies have no other purpose then to promote sloth and to shut down an irritating behavior. Junior Maddie Kouche said, “My mom told me that eating bread crust makes your hair curlier so I would stop making her cut the crusts off my sandwiches.”
Sophomore Madeline Daley’s grandmother told her that “it was illegal to blow bubbles in her milk once Obama was elected.”
Finally, junior Abigail Newland, sophomore Nicholas Carter, senior Jillian Tore, senior Grant Murray, and sophomore Emily Sarge were all led to believe that it was illegal to turn the lights on in the car.
“I, along with many others, was told that adults are to always be trusted and respected,” sophomore Jakob Tucker said. “Oh, the irony.”
Photo Courtesy of https://litlatte.com/2018/02/25/liar-liar-pants-on-fire/
The McNicholas Milestone 
Although I really enjoyed reading this article, now that these “truths” have been dispelled by the author, I am concerned for this generation. I foresee them blowing bubbles in their milk, wasting the crusts of their bread, swallowing gum, and no longer believing in Santa. They will be lucky to get any gifts under the tree this year, and some of them probably even believe now that the music truck does sell ice cream! Publishing such rubbish may be detrimental to the McNicholas community.