Things you used to think and now can't quite believe you did

[treaclesoda]

I saw a seagull flying and it suddenly occurred to me that when I was little, I thought there were two different types of seagulls. Ones with legs, and ones without. Naturally the ones with legs had no choice but to fly all the time

I was a pretty bright child, I can't imagine why I thought that.

Please tell me someone else out there thought the same?

Yay, I nominated this for classics because it made me laugh so much, I'm glad it got moved.

I'll have to think of things I can't believe I used to think.

ooh, I started this thread. It's quite weird to see it now saying 'mumsnet classics' at the top!

MIL stopped using sugar in her tea when during the seventies she heard about LSD. She was petrified that someone would spike her tea.

DH only recently discovered a laundry basket wasn't called an Ali Baba. When he was a child they had one that was shaped like a Middle Eastern vase and the word stuck in his family.

I was told as a child that men have an Adam's apple and women have an Eve's pear. Never questioned this and made a right fool of myself during sexual education lessons.

I used to sing "Britain never never never shall be saved" in the National Anthem

Still a bit that a foal is also a baby pony. I also thought ponies grew up to be horses if they grew tall enough. (See I knew something, horses being over 14 Hands tall)

I thought that toy food sets (like Mr Frosty) were just pretend. This could be down to mum telling me that they were poison...

I proudly told my mum that the belly button expanded to let the baby out. And even after reading a very coy girls-growing-up book I wasn't sure if you had to have your clothes off - I thought you could get pregnant sitting on a man's lap.

My mum thought Bombay Sapphire was blue until I corrected her last week - she's nearly 70! Was tempted to buy her some and add a few drops of colouring

I didn't know the phonetic alphabet so wondered which character in Juliet Bravo was Juliet

I was in Crystal Maze so can vouch for the fact that they were allowed out of the room to go and drink coffee until they were back in the game or we finished!

Tadley has an annual Treacle Fair, named after mining for treacle (local legend also has it that it's because people didn't trust banks so buried their money in treacle tins).

I used to think that when the umpire called out 'deuce' in tennis he was actually saying 'juice' and that's when the players sat down and had their Robinsons.

I thought Neil Diamond sang Reverend in Blue Jeans

Oh and I used to think a local anaesthetic meant local to the area, like a traditional indigenous medicine. I somehow imagined doctors performing caesarians using herbs gathered from the local woodland.

I was well into my teens before I discovered that the Second World War finished in 1945. For some reason I thought it finished in 1953 with the Queens coronation. I'd obviously taken on the two events and then missed the bit in the middle where it ended...

My SIL believed the bit about the rumble strips being for blind drivers to know where the edge of the road is for ages (evil siblings she has)

I've only just this moment realised how to pronounce Arkansas, as a result of reading this thread! I thought Arkensaw was a different place! (I've got it right, haven't I??!)

Me too lillamyy with the Arkansas thing, though I did have my doubts.

There's a Kansas in the Wonderful wizard of Oz though isn't there, so it kinda sounded OK

Neil Diamond singing Reverend in Blue Jeans sang along for years til my son told me otherwise, Bless.

Neil Diamond singing Reverend in Blue Jeans sang along for years til my son told me otherwise, Bless.

Neil Diamond singing Reverend in Blue Jeans sang along for years til my son told me otherwise, Bless.

Neil Diamond singing Reverend in Blue Jeans sang along for years til my son told me otherwise, Bless.

Am delurking thanks to Chasedbybees - funniest thing I've read EVER.

When I was little and my goldfish died, my mum flushed it down the toilet. For years afterwards, I used to think that when people died they got flushed away.

Thanks Trucha

When I was little I used to think that babies were made by just kissing. Whenever I went to a wedding and the couple kissed each other at the end I was convinced a baby would show up in 9 months. I remember thinking that I will not kiss my new husband after the wedding because I didn't want a baby straight away (that's early family planning for you)

When I started my periods, one month it was a bit delayed and my best friend tricked me into thinking that too much sugar can make you pregnant. I was horrified for days wondering how I would explain to my parents that the baby coming was due to excess sugar and nothing else!

I used to believe that CenterParcs or however they spell themselves were all entirely contained beneath a huge plastic dome, woodland, chalets and all.

I also read a book when I was young that was supposed to be some kind of satire on the footballing world, except it was about gymnasts - they were signed up young, paid millions, transferred, were really famous like pop stars. Knowing nothing about gymnastics I assumed the book reflected reality and that was how it was for gymnasts. For many years.

Yes lillamyy, you're right - Arkansas is pronounced AH-kn-saw.

I used to think that about Centreparcs too Laura - I think it was because of their slogan "the British holiday the weather can't spoil" - maybe I assumed there must be a dome if they could promise that...

OH WOW, FORGOT ABOUT THAT BUT I ALSO USED TO THINK THAT ABOUT CENTRE PARCS

Oops, did not mean to do that in upper case, not shouting honest!

What a great thread. I can relate to a lot of these theories and I've leant how to pronounce Arkansas

I used to believe that when people worked they were paid their whole salary in one go and had to make it last the year.