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?

I had just arrived in Canada and was suffering from jet lag - woke up to a report on the radio about aliens arriving in Vancouver. Was confused and petrified in equal measure. Only some years later did I realise what they actually meant.

This thread is awesome. I was convinced the sun wasn't a star because it came out in the day and stars come out at night

I grew up on a farm so had the opportunity to observe animals DTD. From this I assumed as a child that humans did it the same way-- by a male jumping on the back of a female. This made me think that it was not something I would ever want to do.

I used to be bewildered by news reports saying that someone was "shot dead." I thought if you were shot you died and that was that. My Mum had to explain about flesh wounds etc - it was a revelation. I blame the cowboy films of the 50s and 60s where they all seem to die from one shot and no one rolls around in the dirt shouting "Ow! Bloody hell! You shot me! What did you do that for?"

I was proud of my knowledge, aged about 11, that sex involved putting a penis into a vagina - but I didn't know it had to be moved about. I thought you put it in and then sort of waited. Like plugging in a kettle sort of thing.

Conversely, as small child in late 70s N Ireland, I thought that getting shot was the only reason that people died. I heard about it so much that it seemed quite logical. When my granny died and I discovered that no one had shot her I was

It was only when given my first ever bottle of Bombay Sapphire gin that I realised it wasn't blue! I was very disappointed (and aged about 40!!).

I have never got over the shock of finding out that guerillas were men and not gorillas. I used to imagine them fighting in the jungle.

My friend believed that if you had a wee in a swimming pool the water went red and everybody would know what you had done. It took me ages to convince her that her Mum had made it up.

Genuinely, on my childs life, I was 21 before I found out Unicorns werent real.

I cant remember how it came up, someone was talking about it over dinner i think And i mentioned that id seen a couple in a field at chester zoo when i was around 5. The whole table burst into laughter and i sat there open mouthed not getting the joke.

My boyfriend had to google it for me to believe it. I still believe I saw unicorns though at chester zoo.

To add to the dizzy image, I was 23 and believed that there were men operating the speed cameras everywhere, I was driving with my dp one weekend and he slowed down for one, I said its ok there not going to be working on a saturday night. He had to pull over as he couldnt drive for laughing.

Ive never lived these 2 down, even now 10 yrs on i get unicorn presents yearly at chirtsmas and birthday.

I used to think that treacle came from mines too!!! Until I was in my teens. Why did I think this? I obviously got the idea from somewhere.

I grew up in N.I and I thought a bomb was a sort of sweet, and the reason it was on the news was because people wanted it banned, as it was making them fat.

I also though that babies were made through-brain waves. the man and the woman would sort of think at each other

I also though Muslims were a different sort of Catholic. think it was the nun's habit/burka thing?

My dad used to say he was going to see a man about a dog and when he came back I always asked him how the dog was, and he'd say it was fine. I was 17 when I realised there was no dog (and the 'man' were his drinking buddies)!

I thought Arkansas was pronounced Ar-kan-zus. DH thought it was hilarious!

I thought that about Arkansas too!

I used to be puzzled by news readers talking about dead bodies because to my 8 year old self bodies were always dead when mentioned on the news.

Treacle mines were in the treacle people if my memory is right

CabbagesAndKings - there's a Treacle Mine Road in Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels. AFAIK it's a reference to a very old joke which has resurfaced a few times in popular culture and public consciousness over the past couple of centuries.

Agh, another one for Arkansas here.... 35 when I cottoned on

Balloon, I thought the same about sex.

Well, once I'd realized that it wasn't kissing while naked in bed (aka film sex)

I also remember having no idea what rape was. I asked my mum and she was very dismissive 'of course you know what it is!' so I thought it must be something to do with being attacked with rakes for ages.

I am resolved to actually explain these things to my kids!

I used to believe and told all of my friends that my dad worked in a chip shop as he was a 'chippie'. It took me years to realise that he was actually a carpenter!

I always mention this on these threads.
Tigers. Lady lions

Yes to the sex thing too - I think I was embarrassingly old when I realised there was movement involved.

That the Wombles of Wimbledon were 'common', as in dodgy tracksuits and screaming at your kids in the street sort of common. In the song they pause in the wrong place (sing it to yourself and you'll see).

I thought newsreaders could see into your living room so would get changed into my PJs behind the sofa

I thought breaking your arm/leg meant it actually snapped off

And for ages I thought my mum grew up in a black and white world cos her childhood photos were black and white

I could never understand whys dad didn't always get excited when we were driving about and saw a pub with a 'Free House' sign, because I thought you got free beer and I was convinced that would be something's dad would like.

I used to point them out to him excitedly!

Also - I thought that anything near or below a 'give way' sign was to be taken for free (give away)!

I thought the world had been black and white until the late 1960s.

I thought when I was 7/8 that after a certain age (probably 16+) you just had a baby/babies, it just happened - I didn't think there was any choice and was a bit worried about this. There were other rumours in the school playground about how to get a baby ranging from a boy rubbing up against your front bottom to weeing on your bottom. Anyway it all sounded disgusting and I didn't want anything to do with it.

Also my ten year old friend told me about periods when I was about 8 - by the way she explained it I thought you just bled all the time after you got to about 12. I didn't believe one bit of it.

I thought you could go to any cash machine and it just gave you money wish it was true