Academic

I have two older sisters, both of whom spent a great deal of energy and time manipulating me. Most of their attempts are pretty standard fare ...

"If you swallow chewing gum, it stays in your stomach for the rest of your life."

"If you cross your eyes, they will get stuck."

"Santa Claus doesn't really exist."

You get the idea. Occasionally, they raised the stakes, like dressing me up as a ballerina ("You look cute in that tutu"), when everyone knew I was really Batman.

One of the most memorable events of my early childhood was a trip to Disneyland. While boarding the Matterhorn, one of my sisters enjoined me: "Stay in your seat! Last week a kid unbuckled his seat belt on this ride and died!"

He died on this ride?! I was about four years old and that scared the bejeebers out of me. Indeed, I trace my ongoing fear of fair rides to that day.

At some point, I concluded that my sister had invented that story to keep me safe, but it turns out she was right, at least about the most important fact. From Wikipedia: "Mark Maples, age 15, was killed on the Matterhorn in May 1964 when he unbuckled his seat belt and tried to stand up as the cart was approaching the peak of the mountain. He lost his balance and fell onto the track below and crushed his skull." This didn't happen the week before my visit to Disneyland, but it was only a couple of years prior.

Sorry I doubted you, Sis. As of today, no more crossing my eyes.