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Old Wives' Talesby Traute Klein, AKA biogardener

Are old wives tales simply curiosities for the Farmers Almanac or do they have validity in today's society? Here are some tales which I have tested, including predicting the gender of a baby, and predicting a child's adult height.

Old wives' tales?

In Part I of this series, we looked at some tried and tested ways of predicting the weather. The article is linked below. Let's now look at some other old wives' tales which I have known for many years to see if they have application to our daily lives.

Is it a boy or a girl?

When I was nine months pregnant, an old lady told me that I would have a boy. That is not what I wanted to hear. Our family had produced plenty of boys for generations. I wanted a girl. My mother had wanted a girl, and she had to wait through four pregnancies before I fulfilled her wish. I grew up with the understanding that girls are special. And I wanted my own special girl. How did that lady know that I was going to have a boy? Simple! She looked at my bulging tummy. It was pointed, indicating a boy. Naturally. Boys have pointy bums. I should have known that. Girls have rounded bums. An old wives' tale? It should have been common sense. So why did my gynecologist not know this? I have been watching the shape of pregnant tummies for the last 37 years and have accurately predicted the gender of every child months before the delivery.

How tall will my child grow?

Here is a tale which I picked up from a German immigrant neighbor who accurately predicted the exact adult height of all her children, two boys and two girls. She shared her method with me in time for me to take measurements of my nephew and my son. Here is how to do it:
Measure the height of the child on his or her second birthday and double that measurement.
It worked for us, but I do not have a large enough sample to state the accuracy categorically. I am especially cautious in applying it to other races and would appreciate some feedback. I am also curious to know whether this formula works for premature babies. I am inclined to think that they need a little time to catch up to full term two-year-olds first. The most amazing result came from the measurements of my sister's son. He was a huge toddler. Whenever he acted his age, people would turn their heads in disapproval to see such a big boy act so childishly. People were only looking at his height and not at his face. That little boy is now a 7 foot giant, even though both of his parents are of less than average height.

Your Own Old Wives' Tales

I would certainly like to hear some of your family's tales. Share them in the discussion thread and tell us whether you have found them to be valid.

Other Articles on Folk Beliefs and Practices

Old Wives' Tales, Part I
Here are some time-tested weather predictions. How accurate are they?
Of Night Owls and Early Birds
Your optimum waking and sleeping times are determined at birth. This is not an old wives' tale, but it should be. I arrived at the conclusions as a child.
Guardian of a Sacred Trust
Manitoba's Aboriginal shamans know of a secret healing method which I was fortunate to have learned under exceptional circumstances.
Good Old Mustard Plaster
A folk remedy which has worked for me many times.
Garlic, Wonder Drug
Garlic has held secrets throughout history, and I have discovered new powers which I have never heard or read about. To judge by the number of hits, this is by far my most popular article on natural remedies.
The Kneipp Cure
Germany's most popular holistic health cure was perfected for the poor parishioners of a Bavarian country priest, but it is accepted by rich and poor, by physicians and therapist.
Maxims to Live by
Maxims express folk wisdom in a few poignant words.
Millennium Maxim Judging
Maxims which my readers have submitted to a contest
Irish Wisdom, Irish Humor
Classic folk wisdom of the Irish