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What misconceptions did you have as a child?

128 replies

Geekster1963 · 25/09/2018 08:04

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.

OP posts:
Geekster1963 · 25/09/2018 08:06

I always used to be in awe of my Dad when he could touch nettles without getting stung. I only realised years later that the ones with the white flowers don’t sting.

OP posts:
LongSummerDays · 25/09/2018 08:07

That life was fair and adults always acted in your best interests. Hmm

Paddley · 25/09/2018 08:09

That honeysuckle would look very beautiful, like roses. Inner city child, avid reader.

MarthasGinYard · 25/09/2018 08:09

I used to think you could go to the 'nursery' as in plants

And take a baby home tooShock

vampirethriller · 25/09/2018 08:10

I thought the same about pubs! I thought cul de sac was a dirty word, no idea why though. And for a long time I thought that women physically couldn't get pregnant unless they were married, but I blame my mother for that one.

NarcolepticOuchMouse · 25/09/2018 08:22

I used to think if you weren't Christened you could pick whatever name you wanted to be called. I assume my mother attempted to explain at Christenings is where you are named. I got very excited when I was about 4 to meet a girl that hadn't been Christened, apparently I was telling her that she could change her name to whatever she wanted, I even offered suggestions too apparently.

TheHulksPurplePanties · 25/09/2018 08:32

That Charles and Diana were the Prince and Princess of Whales. I wondered why the royal family would be so presumptuous as to assume they could rule over whales.

Babdoc · 25/09/2018 08:37

I used to think that children and adults were two different species, and being glad I wasn’t an adult as they had to work and were violent and nasty. I was at primary school before I realised that kids grow up!

GoodbyeSummer · 25/09/2018 08:39

I used to think that tiny people lived inside the radio and played music and sang songs. I used to wonder how they got in there and what they'd eat. I used to think that people in the olden days could only see in black and white which is why old films aren't in colour. I used to think that someone would stand on top of the training tower at the fire station and keep a look out for fires.

PodgeBod · 25/09/2018 08:41

I used to think that only men could be doctors and that nurse was the female equivalent- I remember seeing a male nurse on casualty and asking my mum about it.

Foodylicious · 25/09/2018 08:44

I thought that all religions 'existed' as facts, and if you could see the watch from above there were different heavens above all the countries for the different religions (disclaimer- I was very youngn maybe 5-6 and grew up in an almost entirely white area at this time and I took everything very literally) I also found my mum flushing our fish down the toilet. She did not tell me that it was dead , but that it was old and this is what happened when it got old and it would go to join all the other fishes. I honestly thought that the fish was alive and had been transported via a special tube to a sea where all the other fishes went too.

CoraPirbright · 25/09/2018 08:45

I used to think that the cats eyes in the middle of the road were electric and had tiny lightbulbs in them. Blush

SmokeAndBone · 25/09/2018 08:46

I didn't realise that once someone died,
It was for ever.

GrouchyKiwi · 25/09/2018 08:54

I used to think that it was illegal for a man to marry a woman who was taller than him (and that was why my aunty & uncle had to get divorced).

thatmustbenigelwiththebrie · 25/09/2018 08:57

I thought that when you started your period it gushed out of you permanently forever more. I was very glad to learn otherwise.

MeMyselfand · 25/09/2018 09:02

I thought the 'To let' signs were a posh word for toilets. Also that all babies were born girls and some would change into a boy aged 5. That was a stressful year for me 😂 all thanks to my sister Angry

sittingonacornflake · 25/09/2018 09:03

@Paddley makes me think of Matilda Grin

sittingonacornflake · 25/09/2018 09:05

I also used to think that doctors were the male job and nurses were the female job Blush

QueenOfMyWorld · 25/09/2018 09:06

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

AnneOfCleavage · 25/09/2018 09:06

I was so confused when my DM tried to explain how a house chain worked when a relative was selling their house. I was c. 10yrs old.

She explained that if we were selling our house and our ndn was selling theirs and our grandparents were selling theirs (lived 3 doors away from us) then we would have to wait til ndn got a buyer before we sell ours.

I remember saying... but but but what if the ndn doesn't want to sell when we did. I thought you couldn't move house unless all nearby neighbours wanted to move at same time. DM did not explain further and basically waved me away saying I was too young to understand.

I lived in fear of seeing for sale boards up near us as we too would have to move house.

jellybeans44 · 25/09/2018 09:07

I used to think that when someone in a tv show/film died, they actually did die. I remember thinking why do people go in to acting???? I realise now this in itself is a contradiction.

MarthasGinYard · 25/09/2018 09:11

I used to think that boy parts would be a like a pastry cream horn with circular ridges ending in a point Blush

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Paddley · 25/09/2018 09:16

sittingonacornflake, what's the Matilda connection? I'm probably too old to get it.

GoneForFood · 25/09/2018 09:20

I used to think that in the ‘olden days’ everything was black and white.

NoSleepTil2030 · 25/09/2018 09:22
  • I also thought that in the olden days people could only see in black and white. - after learning about volcanoes I was worried one would suddenly grow in our street (I didn't really understand the scale of them or the time involved!) - thought babies were conceived by kissing - later when I heard about sex I assumed people only did it when they wanted a baby and that they got a baby every time (and was repulsed that my parents had done it three times!!!)
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