What do you remember from your childhood that you now realise you really misunderstood?

I went on a trip to London about the same age. We went to a market and were allowed to look round in groups. My group spotted an interesting looking shop nearby with lots of plastic legs above it - like they were doing the cancan - so went to investigate. I don’t remember much about what was in the shop only that a stressed teacher ran after us and hurried us out…. But I am sure they sold stress penis key rings!

Aged about 4 I must have seen or overheard something on the news about teens who had died sniffing glue. Doing crafts with my mum and brother at the kitchen table I distinctly remember holding my breath every time I went near the PVA in case I inadvertently smelled it and died 🙈😆

I thought the same for literally around 30 YEARS! 🤣

Aged about 10, I went on a school trip to London and bought a souvenir. A keyring stress ball type squishy thing about 3 inches long, beige coloured with a smiling face on it. Nothing to do with London so I've no idea why I bought it! But years later, I came across it and I noticed it also had a lot of black wiggly hairs at the base. Yep... 10-year-old me had bought a stress penis

This is brilliant. Reminds me of ‘A monk swimming’ 😂

My dad smoked, my mum didn’t. So growing up I thought only men could smoke. I was astonished one day when I was standing in the doorway of the hairdressers and this lady walked by breaking the rules and smoking.

I thought the words to Hail Mary were 'blessed is the fruit of diamond Jesus' and always imagined Jesus in some sort of spangly Elvis Presley suit 😆

Omg me too 🤣🤣 haven’t thought about that for years!!

yes my thought too.

@TedLassosMoustache same - I always wondered why the big debate about Youth in Asia and why no-one seemed bothered about us in the UK…

Oh god! This has just unlocked an awful one. I thought rape just meant being made to go somewhere you don’t want to. I didn’t want to go in another boring shop with my mum so thought it’d be funny to shout ‘help my mums raping me!’ On a busy high street on a Saturday afternoon. I thought my mums angry response was a massive overreaction. I’m blushing and cringing as I remember it.

I was about 4 when my mum said she was going to Ann summers party.

I was really upset I wasn't allowed to go to this party and meet Ann summers....

Same with the chequebook and pen!

😂😂😂

I used to believe the world was black and white and one day someone turned on colour, because all the tv programmes used to be black and white. I thought, we must live in the ‘the colour age’. Similar to the Iron Age or Stone Age. However, I couldn’t understand how books showed pictures of the ‘olden times’ in colour. Why weren’t they black and white too. Lol

I was terrified when I heard about gorillas taking people hostage in South America on the news! I remember thinking if they were clever enough to figure out how to do that they might also know how to get on a flight and come to the UK and take me hostage too.

Driving back from visiting my gran and my mum saying she could murder a chinese. I was horrified that my mum would say/think something so awful, what had the poor Chinese people done to her?!

I did this. I thought the olden days were sepia toned

My mom told me there was "sparkle forrest" and I'd think it was some magical place with some princess playing a golden harp and music notes made sparkles- but it's just fireflies in May in the dark wood as we drove past.

@DuesToTheDirt male pigs were sold and females kept for breeding more piglets. Hence the merry little boars trotting off to market.

Not really. That somehow didn't seem to be relevant!

I borrowed my DMs copy of Riders when I was around 12 (horse obsessed - thought it was just about horses). I skipped through most of the sex bits as really wasn’t bothered, but do remember being very confused about one of the men being described as ‘having an erection like a steeple’. I imagined he was having to stand up very straight.

I strongly dislike that song but not as much as Santa Baby 🤢

Just remembered when my daughter came home from Kindergarten, she would be about 3 or 4, with a letter about a Bring And Buy Sale they were having at the weekend and I said we would go. She became very upset, she was adamant she didn't want to go and would get even tearful. Eventually I found out why, the staff had told them that they brought something of theirs and bought something else but she had heard it called Bring A Bicycle and didn't want to lose hers!

My mom used to say quickly just have a cat lick or you'll be late (quick wipe with the flannel) I thought she said Catholic so used to say I'd have been late so I only had a Catholic.