I model my parenting style on Calvin’s dad. I actually had almost the identical conversation with my kids about why old pictures are in black and white. When they were in fourth grade my daughter came home from school angry at me about having let her and her brother believe for four years that the world used to be in black and white.
They haven’t brought up bridges and weight limits yet so I can only assume they still believe that.
I hope you are joking. Calvin's dad is not supposed to be a role model father figure. Please don't trick your kids like that.
Don't ever joke or trick your kids, they might develop a sense of humor
One thing is letting them develop a sense of humor; another thing is lying to them when they're clearly not able to distinguish between a lie and the truth.
I've pondered on this my whole adult life. Are we doing kids wrong with things like Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, fairy tales, tall tales, etc.? I think not. I think kids come up with their own childish and wrong explanations for things on their own, whether or not other kids, parents, relatives tell them the world was black and white until the late 1950's or that Santa delivers presents down the chimney. Part of growing up is learning to question those childhood ideas and beliefs (misunderstandings) and move past them.
And really, it's something that shouldn't stop with childhood beliefs. There are a lot problems we have as adults because of stories we have been told and stories we tell ourselves that are not true.
> Part of growing up is learning to question those childhood ideas and beliefs (misunderstandings) and move past them.
Yeah, Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy were all a sort of mini rite-of-passage when I was a kid, with everyone figuring it out at different times. Made us feel a little more grown up, especially among other kids who hadn't figured it out yet. And for some reason I don't remember us spoiling it for them - instead we were in on the secret to make the holiday more fun.
It's clear from the comics that Calvin's dad is just having a bit of fun with his son by telling him funny lies about how the world works. It's not about tricking kids, it rather about playing a mostly harmless prank on them.
What was the one about bridges and weight limits? I remember the one about the sun being the size of a quarter.
There's a sign next to a bridge that says "Weight Limit: 10 tons". Calvin asks how they know the limit and his dad says they build the bridge, then drive progressively heavier trucks across it until it falls down. Then they rebuild it exactly how it was and put up the sign for the how heavy the last truck was.
One of my favorites!
https://www.reddit.com/r/calvinandhobbes/comments/u3dqja/how...
Ah, I remember now. It's been too long, maybe I need to read them again :)
That last truck really shows off the engineering work