Strange things you used to believe as a kid

[NosmoKing]

What strange things did you believe as a kid, either because you didn't fully understand a concept and came up with your own bizzare reasoning of why something was, or an adult told you something in jest but you seriously believed it to be completely true?

I believed a nuclear bomb could blow the entire planet into teeny tiny pieces. I'd seen regular bombs in WW2 videos at school, and since a nuclear bomb was the *ultimate* bomb I figured it had to do much worse damage than a regular bomb--so in my mind Earth wouldn't exist after a nuclear bomb was dropped, leaving only tiny pieces of the planet scattered about the solar system, kind of like Fantasia at the end of The Neverending Story.

I thought euthanasia meant 'youth in asia', and when people said they were against euthanasia it meant they didn't like young people living in Asia.

When my mum was little my uncle told her planes turned their engines off once they were in the air and would just glide in order to save fuel and keep flight prices down.

Back when my brother and I were really young and KFC was still called Kentucky Fried Chicken and had an enormous plastic chicken bucket on a pole out the front of the store, Dad told us Colonel Sanders lived in that plastic bucket (the bucket looked pretty big from where we sat in the car). I was old enough to know that was rubbish, but my younger brother believed that for quite a while.

So what strange things did you believe as a kid?

[Marby]

I used to believe the myth about earwigs crawling into the ears of the sleeping and burrowing into their brain. I stuffed cotton into my ears before bed every night between the ages of 8-10. I think I would have preferred believing the KFC story, personally!

[group67]

i use to think that people who didnt speak english really could it was just a practical joke that went on for thousands of years.

Edited September 11, 2008 by group67

[xCrimsonx]

i use to think that people who didnt speak english really could it was just a practical joke that went on for thousands of years.

lol Wicked!!!!

I used to think when I was 6 that the wind itself was a maturnal goddess. On a bad day one could take all their troubles and walk outside and wait for the wind to blow and it would swoosh past you an take all your troubles away. I was an only child so i a had a wild imagination.

[NosmoKing]

I used to believe the myth about earwigs crawling into the ears of the sleeping and burrowing into their brain. I stuffed cotton into my ears before bed every night between the ages of 8-10. I think I would have preferred believing the KFC story, personally!

I was staying at my cousin's place once and they had a really, really bad earwig problem. Those little buggers were everywhere. Now I didn't think they were going to burrow into my brain but I still didn't want them anywhere near me. Luckily I use ear plugs (for non-earwig reasons), so I slept well that night.

When my brother was younger and didn't fully understand the joys of sex, he honestly believed my parents had only had sex twice in their entire lives (in order to create me brother and me). My parents laughed and laughed at that one.

[Marby]

I was staying at my cousin's place once and they had a really, really bad earwig problem. Those little buggers were everywhere. Now I didn't think they were going to burrow into my brain but I still didn't want them anywhere near me. Luckily I use ear plugs (for non-earwig reasons), so I slept well that night.

When my brother was younger and didn't fully understand the joys of sex, he honestly believed my parents had only had sex twice in their entire lives (in order to create me brother and me). My parents laughed and laughed at that one.

:lol:

You know, I'm 34 years old and still get a little freaked when I see an earwig, though I know better.

I shouldn't laugh so hard at your brother. When my parents divorced, I thought that they had to go to court to physically fight it out and I was terrified that one or both of them would get killed.

EDITED to mention that I bet I will remember more now that I am thinking about it.

Edited September 11, 2008 by Marby

[NosmoKing]

Marby, I just keep remembering more and more as I read the replies on this thread. Like this one: my mum's father had died long before I was born, and one day I came home from kindergarten and asked mum why nanna was a weirdo. Mum was a bit miffed and said nanna wasn't a weirdo. But I was persistant and wouldn't let up with the fact Nanna was a weirdo, I'd learnt it at school that day. finally, mum figured out I meant 'widow.'

A cousin once told me about the day the sun would die out (in a couple of million years, a billion years, whatever). I couldn't really wrap my mind around the concept of a couple of million years, and thought it would happen much sooner, but if we all wrapped ourselves in *lots* of blankets we'd be okay, we wouldn't die of freezing cold. A couple a blankets *facepalm* idiot.

[Marby]

Marby, I just keep remembering more and more as I read the replies on this thread. Like this one: my mum's father had died long before I was born, and one day I came home from kindergarten and asked mum why nanna was a weirdo. Mum was a bit miffed and said nanna wasn't a weirdo. But I was persistant and wouldn't let up with the fact Nanna was a weirdo, I'd learnt it at school that day. finally, mum figured out I meant 'widow.'

A cousin once told me about the day the sun would die out (in a couple of million years, a billion years, whatever). I couldn't really wrap my mind around the concept of a couple of million years, and thought it would happen much sooner, but if we all wrapped ourselves in *lots* of blankets we'd be okay, we wouldn't die of freezing cold. A couple a blankets *facepalm* idiot.

Those are so cute!!! I nearly lost my tea on "weirdo".

It's funny how little kids see the world, and these little trips down memory lane are great reminders that we were like that once. I wouldn't say we were idiots. We were simply innocent!

We had a lot of animals growing up, and I used to think a human boy part would resemble a dog's, too. I'm so glad that's not true!!! It really started to bug me after I was told about the "facts of life".

[Blue Raven]

I really belived the "step on a crack and break your mother's back" - for some time I walked very carefully to avoid cracks in the pavements, becuase I did not want to break my mom's back

Oh, and I really believed I could talk to the elements and make them do what I say - for example when it's cloudy and you ask the clouds to move so that you can have some sun and exactly that will happen or if you want the wind to blow extra hard so that you can fly away on it - okay a couple of times (it could also be imagination) the wind did seem to pick up and blow very hard - but I never could seem to get lift off....

I'm sure there are more, I'll try to remember

[Marby]

All of these are great.

There's a little Stewie Griffin in all of us.

[Bish815]

I had alot of them.

1) i used to think that the world was really black & white a long time ago.

2)that if you kissed on the mouth you'd get pregnant.

3)That dogs were free if they didn't have a collar, I was always bring home strays.

4) that my next door neighbor was a wicked witch & once I got stung by a bee in her yard I thought she sent that bee on purpose.

5) and that there was a 1 eye demon in my parents room. My room was across from theirs & I remember watching that demon every night jump on my parents bed & it seemed as soon as it went out I could hear it roaring . It turned out to be my dad smoking in bed & when he put it out he fall asleep real fast & he snores really loud so when I heard the roar I'd start screaming.

[NosmoKing]

Here's another one and this one was only about 5 years ago (so I can't use childhood as an excuse): I was at the doctors and we got to speaking and he told me the Ring o' Roses nursery rhyme was about the black plague, which I though was fascinating. Only later did i learn this was an urban legend. I don't know if I should go see that doctor again, he got fooled by an urban legend after all.

Also, for religion class we used to have to draw pictures, lots of times it was the virgin Mary right before she gave birth to Jesus, just as she and Joseph are led into the stables for the night. I remember I drew the virgin Mary skinny as a rake every time. It wasn't until I was a little older and was reading a more progressive (not religious) birth-of-Jesus picture book, did I see Mary drawn as pregnant with a big ole belly. It never occured to me to imagine Mary with a baby belly, she sure wasn't drawn like that in religion class books.

[The Wise Raven]

I would hold my hand out by the window at night and try to hold the moon in my hands.

>.<..

I believed I could/did do it

[fadinginnocence]

When i was little i used to think that there were little peole that lived iside of me and did things like make my heart beat and then when i got sick they had little armies that fought off the germs.

i was also convinced that my cat was really a person who was a cat during the day because of a curse (my mom read me east of the sun west of the oon really young) and i was always out and about trying to get him to change back

[Bish815]

That reminds of another one I had thought that at night while I was sleeping I used to think that my dolls & other toys would come to life. So there's been times I used to try to stay awake so I can catch them.

[NosmoKing]

That reminds of another one I had thought that at night while I was sleeping I used to think that my dolls & other toys would come to life. So there's been times I used to try to stay awake so I can catch them.

I used to *fear* my toys would come to life at night. Although I liked my toys alot, I did not want them walking around of their own volition. I would stare at my teddy bear and would have freaked out if one night it turned it's head to stare back at me.

Another one: my family used to go for country drives, in one spot in particular where we would regularly pass was an electrical substation. I was curious and asked mum what it was. She must have been tired by what was about the 100th question that day, and said it was a place where they kill you if you ask about it or even look at it. Wasn't sure I believed her, but still, I didn't look at that place for a couple of years any time we drove past it.

[Pandora7321]

My mom had c-sections with both my older sister and I. Back then (I'm 35 and my sis is 40) they did them vertically with the scar going from the naval down. Since my mom had to have two, the scarring is quite extensive and kinda horrifying to look at. As a child when I asked about the scar, my mom just told me that it was where the doctors had to cut her to take us out of her belly so we could be born but, that she was asleep so she never felt it. Well, since I had no idea how childbirth and all that really occurred, I just thought that was how ALL babies were born.

I can remember being in 3rd grade and being in the girl's bathroom just arguing with this other girl because she informed me that babies were born "out of your privates" and I was so adamant that she was wrong and that they had to cut babies out of your stomach. Her eyes got so big around! No telling how many children I horrified by telling them that!

P.S. My entire childhood I was horrified at the thought that I was doomed because I would eventually grow up, get pregnant and HAVE to have my stomach cut open .

Edited September 11, 2008 by Pandora2173

[Blue Raven]

I also remember being afraid of a place where they would do pigeon flying or something like that - I asked what place that was and my mother told me that's where they keep the doves and I heard that's where they keep the delvils - I used to hide away everytime we drove past it for just incase one of the devils sees me!

And also the drains in the street - I could never step over them, untill this day I feel uncomfortable stepping over one - I can't remember why I feared them so much.

Oh and I really really believed that if a boy goes through a rainbow he would become a girl and of course the same would apply to a girl would become a boy - I tried my best to go throug a rainbow - I so wanted to be a boy

[NosmoKing]

No telling how many children I horrified by telling them that!

P.S. My entire childhood I was horrified at the thought that I was doomed because I would eventually grow up, get pregnant and HAVE to have my stomach cut open .

That's quite possibly the most terrifying rendition of 'where do babies come from?' that I've heard of from a kid. Usually answers to that question elicit a 'ew, gross!', but your answer is in a league of its own

[BiffSplitkins]

Until I was about 12 I believed my father had a friend named Pete Moss (Peat Moss). Every time we would go to the garden store my father would say "Hey, there's my buddy Pete Moss" as we were walking by the pallets of 'Peat Moss'. I didn't put 2 and 2 together for a long time.

Another mean thing my parents had me believing as a child was that all the seagulls at the beach used to be little boys that didn't leave the beach by dusk. As soon as that sun started setting I would freak out and want to leave.

[NosmoKing]

After reading this thread I was wondering what it was with parents telling their kids things that freak them out--I asked my mum (who has told me a few terrifying whoppers) and she said she honestly didn't think I would believe them--adult thinking at its best Kids have a different way of seeing things. I kinda miss thinking like that.

[Bish815]

That's funny that you say that NoSmoking. Because my mom was the one who told me my neighbor was a witch because she hated that lady.

I also fear being pregnant. I hope no one gets offended by this but when I was little I remembered mom being pregnant & she was huge. So I asked this overweight woman if she was pregnant too. My mom wanted to kill me for that one.

[Melly]

My brother told me once that if I swallowed a grape seed or an orange seed, a grape/orange plant would grow in my stomach. I flipped out one time when I accidently ate a grape with seeds. I was certain I could feel the plant growing

[Marby]

LOL... my grandfather used to say that little girls who cried for no reason had to have a finger cut off by law so that they would have a reason to cry. Totally new spin on the old, "I'll give you a reason to cry, kid.

[Whangarei]

I also remember being afraid of a place where they would do pigeon flying or something like that - I asked what place that was and my mother told me that's where they keep the doves and I heard that's where they keep the delvils - I used to hide away everytime we drove past it for just incase one of the devils sees me!

And also the drains in the street - I could never step over them, untill this day I feel uncomfortable stepping over one - I can't remember why I feared them so much.

Oh and I really really believed that if a boy goes through a rainbow he would become a girl and of course the same would apply to a girl would become a boy - I tried my best to go throug a rainbow - I so wanted to be a boy

that's me. And walking through tunnels. I'd seen too many Charleton Heston movies and always was expecting the highway overpasses to come tumbling down when we walked under them. I also thought that ants had this ability to find their way back to their nests so I'd put a few on a stick and leave them down the sidewalk. Poor ants.