The weird and wonderful things our parents told us

I think my parents must have been unusually sensible, because I was never told any of these things unless it was to say how funny and foolish they were.

My mother did consider that certain shoe styles were vulgar (she didn’t use the word ‘common’ in that sense). Open toes and/or ankle straps are what I remember.

My mother was brought up in rural Southern Ireland. She used to tell us that she saw a Banshee combing her hair in a field and when she disappeared, my mother found her comb. She said that if you saw a Banshee, it meant that someone close to you would die. We took it all in!

If i was misbehaving Siberia was the place i was threatened with.

MissA when i was 17 i was asked by a very elderly, old fashioned solicitor ( ah, theres a chance for a saucy comment) if i minded typing the word 'poked' in a legal document.
I had no clue there was a connotation other than in relation to a fire or giving someone a dig in the ribs, so I said ok.

That's quite charmingly old fashioned..

When my father was asked where he was going when he put on his coat his answer always was " I'm going to see a man about a dog". We used to believe him and sort of lived in hope! Never happened.

It was bad for my liver if I sat with my back too near the fire when drying my long hair.

The one about open pores too.

Re dandelions and bedwetting..... it’s true that they are a diuretic. The French name for a dandelion is pissenlit - literally ‘wet the bed’.

I remember asking my dad how the liquid got inside the coconuts, he said " see those small shaped rings, well thats where monkeys drill a hole and then they wee in the coconuts and put the ring plug back.
He once sent me to the ironmongers to but some 'elbow grease'!

Although we chuckle now, I can see that Winters were generally harsher years ago and people didn't have central heating. It may have been wise to be careful about going out straight after a bath because you were possibly quite chilled.

I know cold weather itself doesn't cause colds but I suppose being generally damp or having wet hair in the cold isn't exactly good for you.