The old wives' tales.
They are the stories of legend.
I think we all need a big DEEP Google dive though.
Where did they originate?
WHO ARE THE OLD WIVES!
You don't hear about them as much anymore.
It's like science and logic are suddenly a thing.
But they sure are a good way to keep your kids and their behavior in line.
Redditor the_spring_goddess wanted to discuss the tall tales we've all been fed through life, so they asked:
"What is an old wives tale that people still believe?"
"Wait an hour to swim after eating."
What a crock!
So many summer hours wasted.
I want revenge for that one.
Say Nothing
Giphy"An undercover cop has to tell you he's a cop if you ask him."
LonelyMail5115
"Pretty much most advice when it comes to cops are old wives tales. I’m not even a cop but most of the advice you hear is pretty off."
I_AM_AN_A**HOLE_AMA
Say Something
"That you have to wait 24 hours to report someone missing."
Severe_Airport1426
"I really think this one is important and should be the top regardless. As it’s a piece of advice that needs to be relearned and the only way to do that is through awareness."
crappycurtains
"This used to be true. I think they changed it after some guy named Brandon went missing back in the '80s or '70s. You used to have to wait 24 hours if the missing person was an adult because they had 'a right to be missing' and then everyone realized that was stupid and stopped doing it."
AlbinoShavedGorilla
Body Temps
"That drinking ice cold water after eating oily foods will solidify the oil and permanently remain in your body. I informed my coworker that if your body temperature ever reached that point, you’d have bigger problems than weight gain."
chriseo22
"Oh, I have a cousin who 100% believed this. One of those guys who believed every early 2000s internet rumor and old wives tale. One night I chugged a big glass of ice water after dinner and he started freaking out and saying my guts were gonna harden."
"I sarcastically told him to drive me to the hospital if that happened. Obviously, nothing happened and the next morning I said something like 'Thanks for being on standby in case my guts filled with hardened oil.' He just walked off muttering under his breath."
apocalypticradish
Arms Down
"When I was pregnant, I was told by young and old alike that I should NOT raise my arms above my head or exert myself in such a manner because it could cause cord strangulation to my unborn sons and daughters."
Fatmouse84
10 Years Actually
Unimpressed Uh Huh GIF by Brooklyn Nine-NineGiphy"Chewing gum stays in your stomach for 7 years."
"I remember accidentally swallowing a piece of gum when I was a kid in like 1995 and just accepting my fate like welp, gonna have this in my stomach til high school I guess."
Gecko-911
I was so afraid to sallow my gum when I was young.
This tale is haunting.
High/Low
Hungry Debra Messing GIF by Will & GraceGiphy"You can tell the sex of the baby by how you carry."
LeastFormal9366
"Pregnancy certainly wins awards for the most old wives tales. So much absolute BS was repeated to us by everyone we talked to."
IllIIIlIllIlIIlIllI
The Cursed
"If you’re a woman and you wear opal jewelry but opal is not your birthstone (October), you’ll never be able to have children, or will be widowed, or just generally have bad luck or something. You can counteract this by having a diamond in the same piece of jewelry as the opal, though."
"I have a nice opal ring that my parents gave me years ago, and I’ve had other women give me this 'advice' unprompted more than once when I’ve worn it. I have absolutely no idea where it started, but I’m pretty sure this little chunk of silicate rock has no concept of what month I was born in, let alone of how my reproductive organs work."
SmoreOfBabylon
Stay In
"Going outside with wet hair will make you get pneumonia. Or an earache. Or maybe arthritis. Depends on which old wife you listen to."
"Jokes on them - I haven't blow-dried my hair in decades and usually leave the house with wet hair in the morning. On winter mornings, the tips of my hair get frozen. No ear infections or pneumonia or arthritis yet."
worldbound0514
Dreams and Facts
"You never make anyone up in your dreams you've seen everyone in your dreams somewhere else before and never make anyone up entirely."
"How would you possibly prove that to be true? My partner adamantly believes this and tells me this 'fact' whenever I have a dream about someone I've never met before."
mattshonestreddit
"My late wife used to tell me that before she met me she would have dreams of standing at an alter on her wedding day but could never see the guy's face, no matter how hard she tried. After meeting me the face was filled in with mine. Don't know if it's true but one of those things I like thinking of every now and then when I miss her."
Darthdemented
Cracked
Getting Ready Episode 2 GIF by The OfficeGiphy"Some people still believe cracking knuckles causes arthritis."
Choice-Grapefruit-44
"There's a doctor (Donald Unger) that cracked his knuckles a couple of times a day for 60 years, but only on one hand, just to prove it. Both hands remained exactly the same."
MacyTmcterry
I love my knuckles.
Do you have any tall tales to add to the list? Let us know in the comments below.
"What's the most interesting revelation you've had about the opposite sex?"
Likely A Case By Case Scenario
"It's all fun and games until you put her favorite bra in the dryer, even accidentally."- TheLonelyScientist
Men Will Likely Never Fully Grasp This Concept...
"I was 16/17 when I found out periods happen over time, not an instant gush of blood that comes out at some random point over a one-week time period."
"I blame adverts for panty liners where they poured all the blue liquid out at once."- samdd1990
Shampooing Must Quite The Burden...
"As a dude I grew my hair really long and the amount of hair I had to pull outta my butt while showering was shocking."
"Crazy that so many long-haired ladies had been pulling hair out their butts most their lives."- KillerGoose
Who's "They" Though?
"That they don’t care much about our flaws like we think."- quarterlife94
"They can withstand you lying on top of them."- FlatulentParamecium
A Universal Truth
"That nothing stands the test of time in a relationship more than kindness."
"It can’t be faked long term."
"It’s literally the most important quality in a mate."- trulyfreely
Well... DUH!
"I learnt on Reddit that they don't stick those pad things to themselves."
' They stick it to their underwear."
"I guess it's obvious in hindsight"- TokiStark
Give Me A Small, Medium Or Large Any Day...
"Their pants don’t have a waist size and leg length."
"Just an arbitrary number."
"The f*ck is a size 3?"
"I had no idea a size 3 was tiny."
"It was the first number that popped into my head."- PewpyDewpdyPantz
GiphyMaybe They Were...
"I truly thought the hoodies were mine."- pavonearse
Among The Many Injustices Women Suffer...
"It was decades ago, but until I lived with a woman I had no clue how expensive bras were."
"I honestly thought they were like underpants -- maybe $10 for a three-pack."- RetroactiveRecursion
That Is, If They're Thinking At All...
"Men really do sit there and think about the most random things."
"You think they’re mad at you, but they’re seriously just contemplating what would happen if oxygen just suddenly disappeared for a brief moment."- Ill_Pumpkin8217
Think Mad Men GIFGiphyReverse Psychology?
"Shirt buttons are on the other side?"
"But, why?"- Fr8tliner
"The wealthy used to be dressed by servants."- scornflake
Even If They Don't Always Like To Show It...
"Men are incredibly emotional humans in a way that deserves so much showing up for and gentleness."
"I used to believe the stereotypes and didn’t always hold space for men to bring their emotions."
"But once I began clocking into how some men show up in their emotions, I was able to see how awesome they are in that space."- sahipps
Everyone has an opinion on the real differences between men and women.
Even so, be it in their DNA, brain function, clothing sizes or habits, finding a key difference is futile.
As in one way or another, all people are unique.
Redditor AMGBOI69420 wanted all the men out there to share some necessities, so they asked:
"What are some 'guy secrets' girls don't know about?"
Decisions.
Don't be afraid to make them.
Guys appreciate a decisive nature.
But don't be aggressive.
Thank You...
Episode 5 Thank You GIF by PBSGiphy"We will NEVER forget getting a compliment. I used the same conditioner until it went out of production because someone told me my hair felt soft and smelled nice."
LordSwitchblade
Good Morning
"Sometimes when it's up, it's not because we're horny. But don't let that stop you, Queen."
Spiceinvader1234
"I once had a guy tell me 'If a guy has a morning erection it doesn’t mean you turn him on, he was probably just having a sex dream about someone else.' Ever since then I NEVER try to initiate anything in the morning. Is that true?"
LoisLaneintheRain
"It‘s because the body tests any function while you sleep and most of the time that time you begin to wake up it tests the function to get an erection."
Gennerig_LP
Back Up...
"Nice try honey, I still won’t tell you where I keep my snacks."
XxLongoTxX
"Oh, I found them. Days before I was silently soaking in the glory of my private eye skills while we watched (XYZ) on Netflix, and relishing over the fact that the joys of your deceit will soon evaporate into the void during the exact moment you discover you’ve been left with only the lemon flavored ones."
TheOGPotatoPredator
And you are?
"Dudes can be friends for years and not know each other's real name."
theonetrueemanu
"I've lived in my house for 2 years. I chat with my neighbor just about every day when leaving for work. I didn't want to ask him his name so I looked up the property records to find out that information."
ku_chi_mun_chin
"I worked in a grocery store with a guy who went by his middle name. I went by a nickname completely unrelated to my name. We both found out we didn't know each other's real names until 2 years after we started working together."
Funkeysismychildhood
Breathe
Tuesday Morning Reaction GIF by The Secret Life Of PetsGiphy"That big sigh my wife just asked about while we’re watching the 10 o’clock news? Nothing profound, nothing bugging me, I just remembered to breathe."
Gudakesa
Breathing is everything. It can change every moment.
What Up?
houston rockets yo GIF by TwitterGiphy"We have an entire language around the headnod."
baka2k10
"It’s weirdly sophisticated too. You can actually tell how comfortable guys are around each other based on if they say hello with an up-nod or a down-nod."
Juxta_Lightborne
Fake it until...
"Sometimes, that male confidence that you find attractive is us totally faking it while shaking on the inside, insecure AF."
Ok_Technology390
"I just had this exact conversation with my husband the other day. I was telling him how he seems so confident and I would never guess that he's really nervous or that he's not sure of himself."
"I would've never dreamed he gets all nervous and all that good stuff still to this day with me. I don't feel like it's still sunk in completely bc I was so shocked at how nervous he was explaining he'd get at times lol so props to the guys who fake it til they make it. Keep on bc you're doing a good job 💯."
Exciting-Courage4148
Stay Calm
"We don’t want to tell you certain things are worrying us because we do not want you to worry also… now there are just two people worrying, whereas before, one was worrying, and the other was happy, which is a reminder to us not to worry so much."
Mundane_Tour_3215
"It's a bit different if the person you're telling can do something about the issue, but for something currently unsolvable there's no reason to extend the misery to anyone else."
Zncon
Just say it!
"Please for the love of God let us know if you’re into us. Don’t wait for us to tell you first because we won’t because we don’t want to be called creeps."
Wunderbolts
"My current partner and I used to flirt and talk through text all day, every day for months before I told our best friends. I was so into him, but unsure how he felt. My girlfriend was like: he’s usually just like that; he’s friendly with all of our other friends that are girls and would even ask me if I wanted to stream things with him when [her bf and his best friend] was at work."
"So I put that to rest. But then his friend helped a little bit by interfering and he was nonchalant about his feelings for me to him. When I got the green light I should just do it, I admitted my feelings for him. We’re close to celebrating a year in our LDR. We met in person for the first time a couple of months ago and he’s coming here soon. Best decision of my life to just say how I was feeling."
emeraldpotion
So many secrets.
So many truths.
Lesson? Try not to worry.
"What's the most obvious hint a girl was interested in you but you missed all the signs?"
If She Wanted To "Study" She Would Have Stayed In The Living Room
"I was invited to her apartment to study on a Saturday night."
"After a little, she closed her door, we were on her bed."
"And we studied a little more until I left."- tryggvi747
Read Beauty And The Beast GIFGiphyBody Heat, Maybe?
"My now wife gives me sh*t about this all the time so it's safe to share here."
"Back when we were dating, it was a cold winter's night and she texted that she was cold and if there was anything I could do to warm her up."
"I offered to plastic seal her windows."
"Yeah I totally missed that pitch."- rcowie
Love And Basketball...
"I ran into a girl who I knew a little through some friends."
"We were talking and she randomly asked if I wanted to play one-on-one basketball with her that afternoon."
"I had nothing else to do, so I said yes."
"We walked to her place to pick up a ball and for her to get changed."
"In her room, she handed me the basketball and then started undressing."
"I excused myself outside the door while she changed."
"She then held conversation with me while she got dressed in my line of sight."
"Then she asked 'So do you want to go, or... ?'"
"And oblivious me said 'Yeah, sure, let's shoot some hoops'."
"In hindsight, there was a lot of one-sided flirting on the court and afterward she again invited me to her place to cool down."
"But I declined, as I was sweaty and I went home to shower."- elevenghosts
Sanaa Lathan Movie GIF by filmeditorGiphyWait For It...
"Looked up at me while clinging to my arm and stating, 'I could definitely see myself dating someone like you'."
"My brain was like, 'Neat! Maybe one day I'll find a girl who wants to go out with me after all!'"
"She continued this rather affectionate clinging for about a week, constantly holding on to my arm and making puppy dog eyes up at me."
"After that week, my friend asked her out and she accepted."
"They dated for two weeks before they discovered that they were blood-related first cousins."
"Then they continued dating for another week."- cascade_olympus
Good For Her For Being Confident?
"We had been hanging out for a bit and she was talking about how nice her t*ts were, she then follows it with 'maybe I should just show them to you'."
"'Oh no you don't need to do that!'"
"Luckily she really liked me and kept the press on for a few more weeks haha."
"We got married a few years later."- iamStanhousen
In Case You Wondered If It Really Impairs Your Judgement...
"My time to shine!"
"I was in college in the early 90's and sitting in my dorm room alone."
"I was high as hell."
"The hot girl down the hall that I had a crush on and spoke to occasionally came to my room and asked if I would watch her dance routine that was her final for her dance class."
"I was like 'sure' and went to her room."
"The room was dark except for some red lighting."
"I sat on the couch and she put on 'Enigma'."
"This was a VERY clear sign that I missed completely."
"She began her dance."
"She was in a unitard and I was totally hot for this girl."
"She did what I would now consider a personal lap dance for me."
"I was petrified with lust over the whole thing."
"When the song was over she came over to me, about 2 inches from my face sexy smiling and said, 'How was that?'"
"I looked at her and said, 'that was really cool, you'll do great', and left."
"I. LEFT."
"I walked back to my room and left."
"YEARS later I was driving my car to work, just daydreaming, like you do, and that memory popped up."
"I would have kicked myself had I been able to."- Luder714
Maybe She Would Have Been Better Off With 'Diego'?
"I was in a Starbucks in Argentina, and the girl taking my order asked my name to write on the cup."
"She didn't understand what I said, and when I picked the cup up, it said 'Diego', which isn't my name."
"Later that night I was chatting with a cute 20-something girl in the bar and I retold that story, and she looked at me with sultry eyes, her top slightly undone, and said something like 'what would Diego do with me tonight that <your name> wouldn't?'"
"It caught me completely off guard, and I said something stupid in return."
"It was like being in the final minutes of the Super Bowl, being tossed the game winning ball, only to fumble it in the end zone on live TV."
"I've lived with that regret a long time haha."
"What could have been."- tennyson77
They Got The Hint Eventually...
"Back in '84, I was working at this cool department store and this was this shy girl I'd chat it up with."
"I talk to anyone, so it was no big deal on my end."
"I was also a movie nut, so I'd say 'Hey, have you seen this or that?' and she'd give me an exasperated look and say 'No. No I haven't I need someone to go with'."
"I'd be like 'Ah, well, it's a good one'."
"We've been married for 33 years."- The68Guns
Nervous New Music GIF by *~ MIQUELA ~*GiphyThey Needed To Be More Into Themsleves!
"In high school a gorgeous girl sent me anonymous love letters."
"I later found out she was the one sending them."
"She also asked me out to this dinner banquet thing."
"We went, but I was so shy I barely said anything."
"She still sent me letters afterwards."
"I had really low self esteem, and made every excuse to myself that she wasn't into me."
"It was like she was holding up a neon sign that she likes me and i didn't do anything about it."- uncultured_swine2099
"Years ago, just chatting with a co-worker day to day, just everyday conversation."
"Then one day, after another normal chit chat passing time casual conversation, she heads out, turns around grabs a pen and she writes her number on my arm and says 'Dude! Call me!'."
"And walked away seemingly frustrated."
"I just kinda stood there with eyebrows raised, my brain turning gears and it clicked!"
"...Oooohh!"- nukomyx
A Joke About Rubbing Organs Is Just Too Obvious...
"As I played the organ, she would turn pages for me and brush her body against my back while moving from right to left behind the organ bench to grab the next page."
"I thought she was rubbing me due to tight quarters between my organ and the choir loft railing."- Back2Bach
Take Me Out To The Ballgame Baseball GIF by NCAA ChampionshipsGiphyIt's easy to kick yourself in the head for missing what might seem like obvious cues that someone was into you.
Though it's really nothing to be embarrassed about, as subtlety is lost on some.
Then too, it's worth mentioning that maybe the reason you missed the cues, is that you weren't into them?
All's fair in love and seduction...