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Original poster

Confess something weird you did as a child, that you don't know why.

221 replies

iloveeverykindofcat · 05/06/2021 06:12

Inspired by the secret thread, which reminded me of this.

When I was about five I drew a house in biro on my parents' single piece of antique furniture. I have no idea why I did this. I was generally an extremely obedient, rule-abiding child, the sort that got nervous when other children were acting out. I was just suddenly overcome with an irresistble urge to draw the house. I still remember the feeling, and I don't know why I did it.

Did you ever do something inexplicable and out of character, that you still don't understand?

OP posts:
FSVin · 06/06/2021 16:19

@iloveeverykindofcat

I'm no psychologist, but there seems to be a common theme of wanting to mark things - maybe its a way of asserting 'I am here', when children are beginning to realize their independence as a person. Just a guess.
Maybe! I had a brief phase of taking a bit of gravel from our driveway and marking a great long scratch along the side of my dad's expensive convertible Blush I did it on three or four occasions I think. I'm sure my parents knew it was me - after a while they told me that they were going to call the police to catch whoever was responsible, and I promptly ceased my delinquency. It's never been mentioned since!
HotChocolateLover · 06/06/2021 16:55

I was always desperate for a doubled barrelled name as I thought they were so posh and had even picked one out for myself. I’ve never even told DH this as I’m too Blush My chosen surname was Devenzies-Johnson. Literally no idea where a 6 year old got that from. I also used to love sitting on the swings in the park singing frere jacques as I really wanted someone to think I was French and mysterious. I also loved dressing my two cats up in dresses and hats.

Susannahmoody · 06/06/2021 17:45

Used to eat raw bacon and sausage (given to by my mother Confused)

Remember once snipping the t-bar on my little friends new shoes, then denying all knowledge, it was obvious they had been cut.

When we were driving home from a day out I used to 'race' the rain drops on the car window, first to reach the bottom. Only an English kid would understand this!

phodopus · 06/06/2021 17:53

@FlappityFlippers1

I stuck a tiny bead up my nose to see what would happen if I sniffed up 😂 it shot right up there and it took ages to get it out!
I did this with a hama bead and it went too far and disappeared. I was staying with my grandmother at the time and knew she'd be angry so didn't tell anyone. I never saw it again so I don't know if it's still in my lungs or made its way out somehow.
phodopus · 06/06/2021 17:57

@Mumoblue

Ate paper. A lot. There was hardly a book I owned I hadn’t chewed the edges off. No idea why.
Yep, I did this too! I don't know why, it just tasted good and felt right.
BalloonSlayer · 06/06/2021 18:21

I think I read on here once that someone's DS wrote on the wall and, like many posters on here before him, he had the genius idea of writing someone else's name so they would get the blame: therefore he wrote "Mummy."

blackbettybramblejam · 06/06/2021 18:24

Stood on the toothpaste tube with the lid off! I still remember the satisfaction!

AintNobodyHereButUsChickens · 06/06/2021 18:29

I used to chew video tape cases Blush loads of our old video cases looked like they'd been nibbled at by mice. Nope, just me!

RiderGirl · 06/06/2021 18:37

I was a really weird kid, looking back. We had a quite disordered upbringing, in my defence. Amongst other things, I went through a phase of kleptomania between the age of about 7-11 (I think it was an attention seeking thing), used to pinch all sorts of stupid stuff, sometimes got caught, sometimes not, although I can remember the feeling of burning shame when I did get caught. Mum went out once and left us being babysat by her friend, I had an argument with my sister and hid underneath an empty potato sack in the pantry for HOURS. They couldn't find me and ended up calling the police. I could hear all this going on and still didn't come out, until the police were literally at the door I wandered out all nonchalantly. Am proud to say I'm a normal adult now 😊

RockingMyFiftiesNot · 06/06/2021 18:43

Stuck chewing gum under my piano teachers pianoBlush

ineedaholidayandwine · 06/06/2021 18:47

Used to roll a marble backwards and forwards on my tongue until the day i got distracted and it got stuck in my throat, luckily dad was in the room, picked me up by my feet and whacked me on the back until it shot out.

Classicbrunette · 06/06/2021 18:51

My parents had builders in the house. When I was 5 and one evening when they had gone home, they left their tools lying around including a Stanley knife open ! I decided I would “manicure “ my nails with it and slid the knife around under each of my nails 🥴 it seemed a good idea at the time. When they bled i went crying to my mum. My dad gave the builders a rollicking the next day for leaving stuff around.

I also remember whining such a lot, around 6 years old, it was a real up and down vocal whinge. My mum one day just shouted at me “OH SHUTUP CLASSIC” and I stopped mid whinge. Realised I had no idea what I was whinging about, but it must have been incredibly annoying, and I don’t think I ever whinged after that !

SymphonyofShadows · 06/06/2021 18:59

I used to waft around the house in my mum’s red quilted dressing gown that had a stand up collar. I always drew a blue circle 🔵 on my forehead with my older sisters eyeshadow stick, I thought I was Ziggy Stardust.

mindutopia · 06/06/2021 19:05

I tried to took ‘bird soup’ (bird seed) using my plastic potty (found in the garage) over a gas heater (also found in garage). I melted the potty and near burnt the house down! I know why I did it (trying to cook soup for the birds! Was about 6), but obviously wasn’t very wise. 😬

santabetterwashhishands · 06/06/2021 19:12

I used to bite drinking glasses until they shattered in my mouth 😯
I'm not generally a strange human honestly 🤣

gerbilfur · 06/06/2021 19:12

For a year anytime I wasn't at school I wore a blue swimsuit with multicoloured spots. Sometimes I wore it under my school clothes.

Used to drink double cream.

I used to tie one leg behind me and pretend I was an amputee.

Weird!

FawkesThePhoenix · 06/06/2021 19:31

I've got a few more

I think I would have been about 3, I was In a toddler bed in my moms room and i remember wetting myself on purpose over and over again one night. I potty trained super early and had been dry at night for a long time. I remember waking up and needing a wee and wanting to see what would happen if I weed myself so I did. I cant actually remember my moms reaction though.

I used to purposely wake my younger sister up and then pretend I was asleep when my dad came in to see to her. I have no idea why I did it bit it was a regular thingConfused

I used to have an obsession with looking at peoples feet...its like I judged the person on how pretty or ugly their feet were. As an adult I really cant stand feet so I dont understand why I was so obsessed with them.

Not me but my brother found my moms sex toys and photographs of them being used in her bedside table. He made a display on the bed with them all and scatterd he photographs around for her to find. He was about 9-10 at the time so he knew what they were plus the photos left little to the imagination. I cant remember my mom finding them so dont know what happened after. I think he just did it to embarrass her as we hated her controlling boyfriend and didnt much like her as she made us put up with him. Kids are evil Blush

Hushabyelullaby · 06/06/2021 21:09

I used to pick all of the wood chips out of the wood chip wallpaper leaving holes where they'd once been.

I was 8 and spent 5 minutes persuading my 5 year old brother that when the cigarette lighter was pressed in in the car it didn't make it hot. He believed me eventually and touched the end with his finger, which promptly burned and stuck to it. I knew damn well it was hot and would burn him.

When I was 7 my aunt left me looking after my 6 or 7 month old cousin whilst she went downstairs to do something. My cousin was on my aunts double bed, and I remember thinking 'I wonder what will happen if I just don't stop her from rolling off the bed', I soon found out when she fell off and cried, and I got a bollocking from my aunt!

Hushabyelullaby · 06/06/2021 21:12

@Thighdentitycrisis

Aged about 4 or 5 I Stuck a pin in my space hopper that was a birthday gift even though I knew it would break it -

I also played with razor blades -
And drank vinegar out of the bottle

I was often caught hiding in my nan's pantry drinking vinegar from the bottle

BearSoFair · 06/06/2021 21:14

I really didn't want to go to school one morning so rubbed my forehead on my bedroom carpet to give myself carpet burn, slammed both hands on the floor to make a thump and pretended I'd fallen over and banged my head. No idea why I didn't just say I had a stomach ache or felt sick???

Excitedforxmas · 06/06/2021 23:55

I told everyone at school that my big brother tony was away serving in the army and we hardly saw him.
I haven’t got a big brother called Tony.

sherlockhomeless · 07/06/2021 03:27

Thought of another one. I took the light bulb out of my bedside light and stuck my finger in the wire behind it. It was curly and I wanted to feel what it would feel like on my finger.. well considering I didn't unplug the bloody thing! It felt like mains electricity going in my finger!!! My dad came in and went mental! I didn't get another light for a few months!

LunaNorth · 07/06/2021 06:23

All the paper chewing is called pica and can be a sign of stress/trauma.

I did it, and had anxiety as a child.

DinosApple · 07/06/2021 07:01

I've remembered another OP... DB was older than me by 3.5 years, it was like having Drop Dead Fred for a big brother...

When DB was 10 and I was 6 he convinced me it would be a good idea to have a race down the stairs with our shoelaces tied together. Guess who came off worse. Mum came running to my cries but we both got told off for being so stupid Grin.

Our house flooded due to a flash flood when I was about 2 or 3. Our parents ushered us outside the next day so they could clear up. DB told me to have a bath in a big puddle, and I did. He got full blame for that one Grin.

Our cousin's had pretended to be Hoovers and got carpet burn on their foreheads- naturally we thought this was fantastic. Yet again DB piped up with if we rubbed our foreheads it would get hot and mum would keep us off school. We both duly did this. Mum did keep us off school- but coincidentally we both came down with Mumps or Measles next day. Devine justice maybe! Never faked a temperature after that!

We used to drink the vinegar too. That was the least of mum's worries!

LimeAndLemons · 07/06/2021 07:12

I used to drape myself in DM's net curtains when she'd take them down to wash them, and pretend I was getting married.
Also used to sniff toilet blocks - the white ones that looked like a giant polo, wrapped in coloured cellophane. The scent was amazing!

I had a Petite typewriter and I would type out notes to my family and push them under the bedroom doors.

Gosh I sound like a total freak 😂😂😂