My definition of old wives’ tales used to be ideas or superstitions that made no sense but that my mother believed in fervently. And I better follow them or else. This helped form my image of my mother and it didn’t make arrogant little me exactly appreciate her intelligence.
I now believe that old wives’ tales can be divided into 3 categories. The ones that I still think are stupid and can’t possibly have historical origins, the ones that I think sound stupid but probably have historical influence, and the ones that I thought were stupid and are TRUE.
Let’s tackle category 1 first.
- Never did my grandmother’s back break, or, as far as I can tell, even hurt when I walked on a sidewalk oblivious to the cracks. WATCH OUT! Seriously, Mom?
Spoiler Alert – the next two are about feminine issues, so guys might want to skip ahead unless you always wondered why your mother was going ballistic on your sister.
- FOR HEAVEN’S SAKE YOU CAN’T GO TO THE DENTIST WHEN YOU HAVE YOUR FRIEND! “Friend” was my mother’s euphemism for a woman’s period. Which actually, is also a euphemism as well. So my daughters can make fun of me, too. And the connection with the dentist was……..no clue.
- No showering or hair washing when you have your period! So you better believe I spent a lot of time at girlfriends’ houses showering.
Guys, you can open your eyes now.
- If a black cat crosses your path something terrible is going to happen. I don’t remember what the terrible thing was, but I do remember thinking that as long as I didn’t trip on the cat, it should be okay.
- Don’t sit on that cold bench or you’ll get a cold in your back. Huh?
On to category 2.
- BARBARA DON’T OPEN THAT UMBRELLA IN THE HOUSE! While that still seems pretty silly to me, I can totally get that you might poke somebody’s eye out opening the umbrella, and no one, old wife or not, wants rain and snow dripping on their floor.
- Under no circumstances whatsoever should you walk under a ladder. I doubt it warranted my mother’s insane reaction, but it isn’t a stretch to think that if someone was on said ladder with a can of paint, it could be disastrous to both the walk-underer and the on-top-of the ladder person.
Now category 3.
- You know it’s going to rain when your bones ache. Really, Mom? Well, a couple of years ago I had significant shoulder surgery. One day, at physical therapy, my shoulder was hurting a little more than usual. I told the physical therapist that my mother would have said that rain was coming. It then started to rain. For real. The physical therapist replied that my mother was right. Whaaaaaa????? She said that joints ached due to a change in barometric pressure. You’ve got to be kidding me.
Sorry, Mom.
saneteachers 
How about, when your nose itches, it means you’re going to have company. That was a favorite of my grandmother. How do you prove it right or wrong? Eventually most people do have company. And my 81-year-old mother has had backaches for years. Sorry, Mom, for not being more careful when I walked on sidewalks.
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Haha my mother said when your nose itches you’re going to kiss a fool. Sooooo………
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My grandmother told me when your nose itches, it means someone somewhere is thinking about you! I wonder which is the original version!
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I like that one better! Unless the person thinking of you is a fool haha.
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Now my curiosity is piqued. I did an internet search and found there are all kinds of superstitions related to itchy noses. Some believe it means you’re going to receive a letter soon. Or, you are going to receive money. Or someone is talking about you. Or you are going to lose your temper. But for me, an itchy nose has usually meant that I got sunburned and I’m going to start to peeling.
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Or it could just mean that you better believe your mother! I’m glad this piqued your curiosity. I like your idea, too.
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It’s like when grandmas used to say take honey for a cough or eat chicken noodle soup when you’re sick. The advice was poo-pooed by many, but now we know that honey can indeed help decrease a cough and the sodium in chicken noodle soup can be good for us when we’re ailing, And chicken noodle soup also has some anti-viral properties. So grandma was right all along. 🙂
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Exactly! Although I’ve never remembered if it was starve a cold and feed a fever or vice-versa. But my mom swore by that, too.
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Starve a fever and feed a cold, but I think it is wise to drink a lot of fluids when you have a fever, as long as you can keep them down.
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Yes, you’re right. the fluids are definitely for real. Hydration is truly the key. I know when I have a headache it is often from being dehydrated.
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I actually had a conversation today about bones aching in the rain and we concluded that “Native Americans” always could tell the weather was going to change because they were attuned to their bodies in a way we are too busy to be.
I think it would be fun to take old wives tales and write stories about how they came to be. What do you think about that idea?
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It’s awesome. I’ve also wondered how many are cross-cultural.
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What does it mean to have a cold in your back? What does that look or feel like?
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Haha I have no idea. I know she .meant achy, but I asked her once and she got mad at me. Obviously, she didn’t make these up, I know my grandmother must have told her, etc. And there isn’t a miracle old wives ‘tale cure that miraculously ends with our generation. Maybe I’ll ask my daughters….or maybe I don’t want to know lol.
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Maybe your bum starts leak snot?
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EWWWWWWWW
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I also remember being “arrogant little me”! Now, living in a country where superstitions are still rampant, I’ve learned to change directions when a black cat looms. Something to do with crossing energy paths,,,, But relax with the umbrella thing, as long as you open it in the bathroom -that was my mother, for reasons of hygiene! On the other hand, don’t, whatever you do, ever place a hat on a bed !
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So funny how different these tales are. I remember being somewhere, like in college, and putting my purse on the floor. Some girl gasped because I would be poor or something like that. Laughed that a song as she didn’t steal my purse…..There are so many of these.
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Somehow I deleted my response to this and maybe one of your comments. Sorry! I’m on my kindle and it isn’t as easy as on my computer. But the hat on the bed is a new one for me.
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I was about to say who ever takes an umbrella into the bathroom to begin with, then I remembered that we used to put open umbrellas in the bathtub until they dried out. We lived in a New York apartment and there weren’t a lot of places to choose from.
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Lol and handy if you need to wash the umbrella.
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Haha i love grandmother quotes.They really matter.
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Oh that’s so funny!
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hahahaaaaa! Oh gotta love the old wives’ tales. One of my favourites – don’t eat the watermelon seeds or it will start growing in your stomach. The Asian version of opening the umbrella at home is that a snake will come into the house (?!!). Uh?
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haha I guess the snakes have crawled into the umbrella lol. And my mother definitely said the watermelon seed one. And, of course, don’t cross your eyes or they’ll get stuck.
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heheeee.heheee!
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Remember how moms used to say “Your face will freeze that way!” when we made a sassy face? Maybe that accounts for my wrinkles now. As for a “cold in the back,” they might have been referring to pleurisy, an inflammation of the membrane that surrounds the lungs and lines the rib cage. Seems I heard that word a lot when I was a kid. Now I know what causes it. 🙂
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Yes! My face must have froze that way!
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