Spinach makes you strong - a nose like Pinocchio Lies our parents told us

Parents often resort to little white lies when raising children - presumably to make us better people. The blue News editorial team explains which lies have had a particular impact on them.

As a child, you are taught not to lie. It's bad for karma. Yet our parents did it again and again. From "The ice cream van only plays music when it's out of ice cream" (a particularly cruel deception) to "If you keep making faces like that, your face will stay like that" (spoiler: it won't).

These childhood lies kept (or still do) the blue News editorial team busy:

I hadn't eaten the chocolate in the kitchen. Well, actually, I had eaten it - but only a little. When my mother asked where the bar had gone, I shrugged my shoulders innocently. At that moment, she looked at me insistently and said: "Do you know what happens when you lie? Your nose grows, just like Pinocchio's."

I felt my nose and looked at myself in the mirror. Had it grown longer yet? Nothing had changed. It was clear to me then: I'm immune to Pinocchio syndrome.

Sven Ziegler, Daily Newsroom Manager

You're not allowed in the water for two hours after eating. I jumped into the pool anyway during the fall vacations in Sicily at the age of seven. And lo and behold, I didn't go under. As punishment, I had to spend two hours in the bungalow. I did some handicrafts there, unfortunately using the tapes and plasters from the first aid kit. Who was right - so I was allowed back in the water.

Chantal Schwarz, Head of TV productions at blue Sport

"Only if you eat spinach will you grow big and strong." I just didn't want to believe that, Popeye or no Popeye. I regularly put the spinach in my mouth at the very end and never swallowed it until I could spit it out on the toilet. I've since overcome the trauma to such an extent that I eat spinach at least as a filling with ricotta.

Martin Abgottspon, Content Lead MyTech

I love warm bread. Growing up, my parents were adamant that eating warm bread gives you a tummy ache. The truth is that the yeast in the dough does not continue to ferment after baking and therefore cannot cause bloating.

This myth goes back to times when food was scarce: Back then, bread was often wolfed down too hastily and swallowed with a lot of air - which can really lead to digestive problems. So my tip: warm bread can be eaten as and when you like, as long as you chew it well.

Bruno Bötischi, Editor Entertainment

How does rain form? My parents' explanation: when a cloud hits a mountain, it is squeezed like a lemon. This still makes sense to me today - after all, it rains more often in mountainous regions than in the lowlands. I don't even let my editorial colleagues get in my way, as they only acknowledge my thesis with a laugh. The only thing that baffles me is why it also rains in the lowlands from time to time. I don't have a logical explanation, but I suspect that science is still lagging behind in this respect. I certainly won't be googling the subject. My own personal truth is enough for me.

Note from the blue News editorial team: It could not be fully clarified whether this is a lie or not.

Dominik Müller, Editor News

The classic lie that we all know: "We're almost there." I don't need to elaborate, do I?

Lea Oetiker, editor

If you sprinkle too much flavoring on your food, you get worms in your stomach. I can't remember whether it was my parents or other adults who had the yellow sprinkled seasoning. What I am pretty sure of is that they did not provide any explanation as to why the spice mixture should turn into worms in the digestive tract. The message was clear: flavoring is bad. Like most things that taste good.

Today, I can't get as much out of aromatics as my parents. My children love it anyway, of course. I then threaten them with the loss of their taste buds. Without having done any research into whether this is physically possible.

Stefan Michel, editor

I still remember the exact moment when I stood in front of the mirror in kindergarten and tried to move my eyes as far as possible towards the tip of my nose. Suddenly, my kindergarten teacher shouted: "Stop that immediately! Otherwise it will stay like that forever!" I immediately turned to the mirror in a panic to check whether my eyes were still normal. Fortunately, my eyes stayed where they belonged.

Sven Ziegler, Daily Manager Newsroom

"When you're raw dough, worms crawl out of your belly": Well, what can I say. At least I may have been spared a stomach ache. Today, cookie dough ice cream is one of my favorites.

Martin Abgottspon, Content Lead MyTech

I didn't spend much time in front of a screen as a child - but when I did, I did it properly. And so it came as it had to. At some point, I heard the warning: "Be careful, if you look too long, your eyes will get square!" In my childhood imagination, I already saw myself walking around with two glowing screens on my face, unable to blink normally. Today, I sit in front of screens for hours on end - and my eyes are still round. But sometimes, if I stare at the laptop long enough, I ask myself: what if they were right after all?

Samuel Walder, Editor