We were taught certain things when we were young that, through life experience, we eventually found out weren’t completely true – or maybe just downright made-up altogether. But at a young age, it was easy to believe everything our parents told us. Maybe some of the things they said weren’t quite so true in such a literal sense, but they developed our understanding of the world and taught us to establish morals at an impressively young age. Today, more than ever, it’s important for us to teach our kids these same values and habits so that they will grow into the world-changing adults we want them to be. These are the 3 lies we can tell our kids

Lie #1: Your mom has eyes in the back of her head.

It’s not surprising to find out that there actually aren’t eyes in the back of your mom’s head because scientifically it never made sense.  But this expression taught us more about our conscience than we may ever realize. It triggered the queasy feeling in our stomach when we knew we were doing something we weren’t supposed to because we feared our mom was watching. Our “grown-up” experience of our conscience might be a bit more extreme than taking your little sister’s doll from her when your mom’s back was turned, but the feeling you get in your stomach is all too familiar. Telling your kids that parents have eyes in the back of their heads reinforces their character development and teaches them to choose right instead of wrong – especially when no one is looking.

Lie #2: If you watch too much T.V., your brain turns to mush.

Watching hours of T.V. has not yet been proven to alter the substance of your brain – although it may be true that it wastes it. However, telling your kids that your brain will rot if you sit in front of a screen too long instills the need to find a screen-less hobby they enjoy. Stress activities that improve their physical, intellectual, or social skills, such as sports, reading, or art. Most importantly, establish an environment in your household that encourages children to spend less time staring blankly at the T.V. and more time focusing on activities that pull them away from the screen. And if that means telling your kids that their brain will turn to mush, so be it.

Lie #3: If you make that face again, your face will freeze that way.

You know the face. It’s the face your children give you when they don’t like what you’re saying, what you’re doing, or why you’re doing it. But that’s the way life is. We have to teach our kids that they won’t always agree with what other people are saying or doing, but it’s important to keep a composed, respectful, and collected demeanor anyway if they want the same respect in return. So tell them their face will freeze that way – they’ll wipe the smirk off faster than it got there. Plus, you’re the boss. You make the rules.

These are the 3 lies we can tell our kids to help guide them into becoming a successful person. Maybe a little Pinocchio-parenting isn’t so bad after all.