In my family we call our aunts auntie, but most of my friends just call them aunt. One of my sisters friends when introduced to my auntie clare thought her name was eclare and was named after the dessert because my sister called her auntie clare.

eclare

that all teenagers ate with really bad table manners.

-J

When I was little, my dad told me he had been born in Indiana. I thought he meant India, and for years afterward, I thought he had been born in cave.

Andrea

I believed my younger sister was adopted, as she had made up an elaborate story about her "real" family. This family was the "Pigmy Ant" family. My sister's real name was Kary Pigmy Ant, her father-Harry Pigmy Ant, Her mother-Mary Pigmy Ant, and so on with brothers and sisters. When I asked how she knew she was adopted, she often pointed out her large ears and nose. I had to agree with her about that, so we weren't sisters for a couple of years, just family friends.

Anon

Until I was about 7 or 8, I was almost completely convinced I was adopted. When I told my mom this she showed me a picture of her holding me, as a newborn in a hospital bed. I also, at the time, thought that when you adopted a baby, you got it from the nursery center in the hospital where they bring the babies after they're born, so I thought my mom adopted me, then went into a hospital room and took a picture so she could fool me later when I got old enough to figure out the truth.

Rachael

My mom's brother was adopted, but I'd never actually seen an adoption center. I used to believe that adoption centers were kind of like assembly lines, there would be only babies (that basically looked all alike) and the adopting parents would pick one as they were going by and into another room where other families would look at them. I believed it for a long time until I saw a movie about some kids getting adopted.

Mary

I used to believe I didn't have a grandpa. My mom explained that I did, that my "Papa Gerry" was my grandpa, he just didn't like being called grandpa. I didn't believe her until I asked Papa Gerry, and he said it was true!

H

I used to believe I was at my parents' wedding, even though I was the last child born of 4, and they just pretended I was the youngest.

Kristine O.

I used to believe that after my mom had put me to bed at night she and the rest of my family would just up and leave never to be seen again. I could always hear them talking but I thought they had made a tape recording of their voices to trick me.

Kristi

Up until I was about 15, my mom would insist that there was a such thing as the 'Mommy Rule Book'. She kept saying that (a few 'rules') we couldn't tickle her even if she tickled us because it was against the 'Mommy Rule Book', couldn't poke her, couldn't do anything to her because it was against it.

I only believed it for a few years but when I was 15, she finally admitted to it.

Caley Richardson

My sister and I always thought our grandparents, who are from the Netherlands, actually lived on the moon. Every time we saw the moon we would wave to them. We also thought after visiting, when they flew home, that is where they went. Very wierd...

CRW

when i was little i used to beleive that after i went to bed at night my entire family would gather around in the bathroom to have a meeting without me. during this meeting they would take off their people masks and reveal their alien selves. the ceiling would open up and their flying caucer would lower itself down to them.

valerie

My Mum would always threaten to shoot me if I was naughty. I actually believed that she had a gun and oneday I would make her mad enough to use it.

Anon