What misconceptions did you have as a child?

[Geekster1963]

I always used to think that a 99 Ice cream was called that because it cost 99p. If only it did cost that now. I used to think Pubs that said ‘free house’ on them meant you got free drinks.

I thought “post no bills” meant you were badly off for funds and didn’t want any bills coming in. I used to wonder why my dad would complain about getting bills when you had the option to refuse them 😂

I thought each generation has to have its own world war, and I used to wonder if I'd be a land girl like my Mum ( WW2) or work in munitions like my Nan (WW1).

I thought I was deformed and would never be able to have a baby. I misunderstood what an erection looked like and thought my vagina should be where my belly button was.

Dandelions made you wet the bed. I never questioned it until I was about 15/16.

That when we had books and tapes together, as in Ladybird ones, the cassette player would "read" the book. I think there was a TV programme "Chock a Block" where someone put a book in a machine.

That if your eyes were covered with a scarf, as in pin the tail, you'd still see the scarf, and it would appear small. I didn't understand why all the children replied "no" to the question "can you see?". It was a shock when it was my turn, the scarf grew huge and filled my vision, and I found I couldn't see at all!

Another traffic lights one: I imagined as a child that traffic lights knew when cars were waiting, but I also thought it was too fanciful to be true. I was most astonished to learn later (aged 9 or 10) that actually they do detect when cars are waiting!

That white dog poo (common sight in the 70s) only came from white dogs.

I also believed that street lamps were individually powered by hamsters on wheels and the small door at the base of the lamp was where a man from the council would put food in for them. Thanks for that Dad!

In fact, there were several things which I thought were made up, because they appeared so often in stories, so I was amazed that actually they did exist. Some of them were:
Rainbows - I remember the surprise when I first saw a real one.
Foxes - I thought that real ones were quite disappointing, because in stories they're big fierce creatures that eat you all up.
Wolves.
Kings and queens: utter amazement that "the Queen" is a real person. I saw her on TV on her 60th birthday. But my parents then had to explain why we didn't have both a king and queen, like in fairy tales.

anederly I used to terrified of pylons after they told us a story at primary school when I was around 7 about a boy who climbed one got electrocuted and died. Even now if I’m walking under powerlines and hear them crackling I get nervous.

My dad worked on a contract for a while in Sutton. It was around the time I was learning the planets. I genuinely believed for a few months that he was leaving the house every morning to go to work on Saturn....

My parents both grew up in London. I thought my Dad's dad had died during the Plague and my Mum's dad had died during the Great Fire!

I used to always think broccoli was mini 🌲😂😂

That older children wee standing up. We had to use the boys toilets at school when ours had flooded and I was amazed to see an older boy pissing against the wall in a “fountain”. I practised for ages at home after that thinking I was being really grown up.

Also someone bought a sanitary towel for 2p from the big girls toilet when we were 5 and it was a very old fashioned one with loops on the ends. They told everyone that the loops went around your legs and the towel caught the baby.

I used to think that you could choose if you wanted a boy or a girl when the baby was born. If you wanted a girl, you cut the umbilical cord off and if you wanted a boy, you left a bit on!

I used to think ready" basted" on frozen turkeys was a swear word

I once saw a kid writing "basted" in the condensation on a bus stop ... I don't think he was talking about a turkey, but I do pity his English teacher!

I used to think that "take no prisoners" meant everyone was let go, which I thought was very nice.

I was brought up in a very religious household. When my mom told me that god knew everything even what you were thinking it freaked me out. I convinced myself he wouldn’t listen to my thoughts if I was on the toilet (far too rude) so I used to go to the toilet whenever I wanted to think something naughty. My mom probably thought I had bladder issues!

Back in the 50s, my great aunt was convinced that all police stations were painted yellow inside, because she had heard that prisoners were taken into 'custardy'.

I was told the world was round so if I set of down the road and kept going long enough I would go all the way to Australia and back.

For years I though the road we happened to be driving passed at the time lead to Australia.

Men were doctors, women were nurses.

That pylons would strike electricity at you from anywhere;
Reeds in lakes will always wind around your legs and pull you down like evil living creatures;
Level crossings are terrifying in all circumstances.
Grain silo's equally terrifying in all circumstances;
Tractors will pull you out and chop you up if you don't wear a seatbelt;
Van drivers would scoop you up and put you in the back with a lure of sweets or puppies.

If you haven't guessed.... those videos man!

Downtown me too ! All dogs were boys and all cats were girls. Also that white dogs have white poo and brown dogs have brown poo

I had little understanding of the passage of time and asked my grandmother if there were dinosaurs around when she was young. She was quite Victorian and like the dear old queen she was most definitely not amused.

Ah yes, here's another - if you let a boy blow in your ear you'd die.

I was a child if the 1950's and as a result of my parents being far too embarrassed to talk to me about sex and the best school could do was a grainy black and white film shown in a nissen hut about the reproductive cycle of amoebas, I spent most of my childhood convinced that babies were born through the belly button

I thought if you did something bad, you went straight to hell that night.

Oh yes, I thought children could go to prison until I was about 5 or 6.

When I was 12 I found it really nice and neat that I was exactly twice as old as my 6 year old brother. The following year I simply couldn't understand why I wasn't still twice his age, I just couldn't get my head around it for months.