The 32 Most Messed-Up Lies People’s Parents Told Them

Honesty may famously be the best policy, but for one unlucky Redditor, telling the truth was mandatory, thanks, in part, to their allegedly color-changing eyes. In an apparent — and admittedly creative — bid to get her kid to ‘fess up to classic childhood antics, the poster’s mom decided to share a not-so-little white lie, telling them that their eyes turned orange whenever they strayed from the truth.

Not wanting to get caught red-handed — or orange-eyed? — the Redditor did what any kid would do. ”I covered my eyes when I lied so my mom couldn’t see them,” they recalled of their now-meta tell.

Much like this poster, our eyes won’t turn orange when we explain that they’re far from the only kid who fielded fantastical falsehoods from mom and dad. Here are other messed-up lies people’s parents told them, the craziest of which include Barney’s untimely demise, “teeth goblins” and the nonexistent legend of “The Can.”