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

[Carryonrunning]

Was just chatting to a friend about this:

1. Hearing all the boys in class talking about how a girl’s tampon fell out in the classroom. Lived in fear of this for many years before I realised they meant it fell out of her bag, not her body!

2. Opening the door of a sauna with my cousin (which was right in the middle of the spa area, so not private) on holiday in a nice hotel and my uncle inside shouting at us to close the door. I cried for weeks thinking I’d inadvertently seen him naked (although I didn’t actually see anything). Couldn’t look at him for years without feeling sick before I was old enough to realise we were just letting the heat out and annoying the other people in there! No one was naked in mixed sauna in the very public pool area of a nice spa hotel full of people!

My brother spent ages studying a map looking for Random, the place where organisers went to draw the winner, as in The winner's name was drawn at random.
The same brother, years older, was looking at a road atlas of Germany when he came to visit, he couldn't find the big city of Ausfahrt, hardly surprising as it means Exit.
More than one person new to Germany would park their car then not be able to find it, but they knew the street where they'd parked it, Einbahnstrasse, sadly that means one-way street!

I love this! Made for each other!

I have a friend who as a little boy, wrote to his Uncle Brian and Aunt Margaret to thank them for a birthday present. He wrote, "Dear Brain and Maggot". 😂

I used to do exactly the same thing! I was about 24 when the penny dropped 😬

I recall driving through an industrial estate and seeing a huge sign TOILET, I commented about it to OH. He pointed out that some wit had inserted an I between To Let!

Oh my God!!! Really?! My eyes have been opened! I can't believe I never knew this UNTIL TODAY! HA HA ha 😂 For years I've thought....What?! Why?! Why is she kissing Santa? What about Mrs Claus?! Didn't think he was that sort of bloke! Thank you! 😂

My gran told me whilst visiting my dying mum in hospital my mum looked at me and said I wasn't the pretty little girl I used to be. I was 13 months old at the time. For the majority of my life this crushed me until I realised that my grandmother, being much much older, didn't believe in ribbons and bows and pretty clothes. Mum meant it in that way and it wasn't a rejection of her baby.
At least that's my feeling now although a tiny bit of me still feels crushed if I'm honest.

I did this.
I wish I knew why

to this day he sends me pictures of his dainty pasty bits with a picture of a monkey.

That could be easily misinterpreted as being rather less innocent than intended

First day at primary school and first day of ever wearing any kind of uniform. I was so worried that my mum wouldn't be able to pick me out of all the identically dressed children. I spent the night before awake and scared that it would be my last night in my bedroom and that the next night I might get taken home by different family.

She still teases me for asking "Will you know which one's me?" on my first morning. Thankfully, she did.

Cats aren't female dogs apparently

On my 3rd birthday I was given a soft toy dog that I called Lassie. I loved her to bits & when my mother took me out in the pushchair Lassie had to come too & sat on my lap.

On one such outing we encountered a group of men who were sporting full traditional Scottish outfits. I'd never seen anybody dressed like that before so was both amazed and a bit scared.

As they walked by one of the men smiled down at me and said “well there's a bonnie wee lassie.” This remark caused me to go from scared to full on bawling because I was so shocked and horrified that a total stranger could know my dog's name. It seemed very sinister and spooky to me at the time.

We were out with an uncle & aunt one day. The uncle said he was "just going to shake hans with the bloke he enlisted with". I was so upset that I wasn't allowed to go to. And why did he meet his mate in the gent's toilet?

"shake hands" obviously

ME TOO on WH Smith!

That could have added yet another level of intrigue - especially if a gentleman wearing Lederhosen happened to go into the toilets at the same time as your Uncle

So did I 😂🤦‍♀️

Why on earth did he drown them! 😡

Expect so, it was common in the old days. When my brother's pet mouse had babies my dad flushed them all down the toilet 😭

Wasn't he?

Yes, of course he was!

@neilyoungismyhero I am sorry you experienced that. It sounds to me like your mum was criticising your gran for not putting you in your usual pretty clothes. Your gran was probably just stressed and being pragmatic.

I think I was an adult when I first heard this song. If you're younger when you first hear it then you are going to think "Wtf?"

This reminds me of my very first curry. A friend of my mom made it, to an adults taste. It was inedible for me. I tried so hard but my eyes were watering and my mouth on fire. My mom was so upset with me, she kept saying just eat it, we dont waste food. But I really couldn't. It was so upsetting for 8 year old me.
Can confirm I like pretty hot curries now.

I too thought for a long time the to let signs were just badly spelled toilet signs, like the "i" kept falling off, I did wonder why it was just the "i" .

I couldn't say squirrel, apparently I would say skirrel, I once said to my parents (while I was in the back of the car with no seatbelts, what a time to be alive) what shall we do in autumn, but I said autu em en.

I knew lots of words because I read so much, but I didn't necessarily know how to pronounce them. So on here a few years ago I found out how to say hyperbole.

My DS's primary school organised a trip to a local synagogue and DS was very excited because he thought he was going to the cinema.

Indeed! I think I always have ha ha 😂