When my dad was very little, just two or three, he was in a white family living in an all-black neighborhood. And in fact, even his dad (my grandpa) had a very dark tan and pitch black, curly hair. So, he thought that when you grow up, you turn black. He eventually figured out that there must be something wrong with that theory because his friend, Nate, also two, was black.

Rachel

I have two older brothers and so I thought that when you grew up you were a girl then a boy then you could be whatever you wanted to be (a man or a woman).

Anon

I used to think that people just appeared on Earth assigned to be certain people, for instance I thought I would never grow and being a kid was just my 'job.' Therefore, I thought all the clothes that no longer fit me were just shrinking, and I couldn't figure out why.

Anon

My uncle told me (and my cousin) that when you hit puberty your body changes gender. He was always telling us stories about "when he was a little girl..."

Jo

I used to believe that grown-ups are know-it-all and couldn't wait to become one. Now I'm 18 and I know than many kids are smarter than adults.

Antonia

I wanted to grow up to be an angel, a perfectly valid occupation, I thought.

molly

Every holiday I was amazed at how long my parents could sit and talk to my uncles and aunts and older cousins. I was sure that once I got older that would somehow seem more fun than going out and doing something. But it still doesn't.

dave bug

I used to believe that everything was known, and adults knew everything, and that the only reason I didn't was that I was just a kid. I still remember how upset I felt when my mom said, "Well honey, Mommy doesn't know everything!"

Zorak the Mantis

When me and my little sister were younger i told her that once you turned 13 you turned into a TEENAGER, for some reason she came to think that TEENAGERS were bad, so when a friend of ours came to visit and told her that she had just turned 13 and was now a TEENAGER, my sister ran away in tears and refused to go near her for a week. Funny thing is, my sister is now 15 and knows that being a TEENAGER ain't as bad as she thought!

cordee

When I was about 10 my neighbours voice broke and he went through all that dreadful squeakiness! I was really worried, believing that I would have to go through it too. I confided in my best friend who told me not to be so stupid - girls voices don't break!

Julia

when I was little I used to think you had to have a baby before you got married!

Supergirl

When I was about 4 years old, my older cousin who was a boy, told me that boys were always older than girls, and I believed him until I was about seven years old.

Kate

when i was four years old, i asked my mum how old she was. she said '21', as lying about one's age was common among women in those days (and, of course, still is!). When, two years later, her birthday arrived, I sent her a card saying 'happy 23rd birthday, mummy!'. She was 44. i guess when you are a small child one adult looks very much like another - whether they are 16 or 61!

lindsay

I used to believe that the morning I woke up for college we'd have to buy me all new clothes because then I would be an adult and wouldn't be able to fit into child's clothes anymore.

Kiana

My grandmother had alzheimers, and when I was little and heard the grown-ups talking about it, I always thought they were saying "old-timers".

Anon

My sister is two years older than me, and when I was a little kid, I believed it was possible for me to some day catch up in age with her and maybe even be older than her! At my birthday every year, I would anxiously check to see if we were closer in age than we had been before the birthday, but we never were...

Catherine

My brother was born the day before me, only 11 years later.

For a while I think I had him convinced that he was a day older than me, but was a midget, (and that is why he was shorter...) AND therefore,he wouldn't ever get any bigger than he was.

It got him good, but only for a little while.

Craigdude

When I was 4 my grandma made a comment about being tired and old. I asked her how old she was. She then asked me how old I thought she was. I said, "80" (she was in her early 50's). If you weren't a child then you must be 80!

-C.D.

When I was very little, I thought all adults were perfect. That they never made mistakes in *anything* - like they would never make an error in addition or multiplication, or ever make a mistake. I also believed adults never did bad things, or got angry. I believed this until I was at least 4 or 5.

Anon

My baby sister who is 3 years old (I'm 21) thinks that one day when she grows up she will become me and I will be her!!

Taby