When our middle child was six months old, my dad used to shake his head from side to side while saying "yes" instead of nodding up and down for "yes" and side to side for "no." Some of the grandchildren found it curious, but our son, who even at that age knew the correct gesture, would cry. Grandfather immediately stopped his joke when he realized it could negatively impact the children's emotional development. Other fictitious stories adult children share include parents falsely claiming they were part Indian or mistakenly believing that the abbreviation "PA" stood for their father's town “pa” rather than Pennsylvania. While playing such harmless jokes on children may be fun, it can be challenging when they grow up believing these falsehoods to be true.

Did you ever meet a fire princess?

Some of you might think that meeting a fire princess might be easier to do as a child, but I didn't have the opportunity to meet one until I was well into my 20s. She appeared unexpectedly one evening, and I quickly learned a fire princess could always be called upon.