Ken Jennings...remember that name? He was the guy who won two and a half million dollars winning 74 straight games on Jeopardy a few years back. He is also an author, and he has written a new book. It's about Mom myths--things that Mom used to tell you that just really aren't true.

I always remember "If you keep looking like that your face will freeze" Oh Mom. The story on Yahoo "11 Mom Sayings It's Okay to Ditch" Ken points out such oldies-but-goodies as

"When you open the oven, all the heat goes out"
At age seven, there's nothing worse than waiting for the cookies to be ready. Thus comes the kitchen version of "are we there yet," prompting moms everywhere to claim checking the chocolate delights will only make them take longer. Yes, when an oven is left open for one minute, about one-quarter of the heat escapes, but it returns in less than that time because warmth radiates from the walls of the oven. No matter what you say or do, it'll be ten to 12 minutes until sweets-time.

"Sugar makes you hyper"
As a parent, it's difficult to admit that your kid's behavior was out-of-control - even though you know it happens to everyone. "It's more flattering to someone's parenting to say, 'you gave them too much sugar!'" explains Jennings. "The occasions where kids are more likely to be eating sugary treats are chaotic events where they're running around anyway." No studies have linked sugar consumption to hyperactivity in children, meaning it's probably jumping on the trampoline with all of her friends that got your daughter amped up, not the slice of birthday cake she ate afterwards.

"Coffee will stunt your growth"
This six-feet-tall writer is living proof of the falsity of the claim that java will leave you short of your maximum height. The myth probably began because smoking does indeed stunt growth, and in all the discussions of harmful substances, caffeine mistakenly fell into the same category. In fact, caffeine is used medicinally to treat premature infants. "My kids are crazy enough without a caffeine jolt, but you can't say it has long-term effects on growth," says Jennings.

There's others...like "Don't sit so close to the TV" and ""Shaving makes hair grow back thicker"...
Get Ken's book here "Because I Said So!"

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