My aunt was a heavy smoker for a period in the late 60s, early 70s. When I was a kid, she told me about how she smoked 3 packs a day until one day, she "quit cold turkey." I felt my family had a personal stake in this, since we always invited her over for Thanksgiving. I gave myself a little pat on the back for our collective efforts.

Anon (from bad habits : smoking)

Until I was about 12-13 years old I was scared to touch an electric guitar. Everyone I knew or saw on tv that was touching one had really big hair. I thought I would get electrocuted. And my hair would look like that.

mark (from body parts : hair)

I use to believe that thunder was created by 2 clouds bumping into one another. Mom told me this and she still believes it.

Anon (from nature : thunder & lightning)

I was really young when I saw the movie "Honey I Shrunk the Kids" and for some reason this movie convinced me that my Mom had a shrinking machine somewhere in the house. I would very carefully enter rooms, fearing that the machine was in there and that I would be shrunk. My Mom stepped on every bug she ever saw so I knew if she saw me I would be a goner!

Joshua (from grown-ups : family)

I used to think insects would walk along tree branches and *poof* become a leaf. I misunderstood buds for bugs.

Lisa (from nature : plants)

My brothers and I used to believe that grated parmesan cheese was "cooler off'er" and when we sprinkled it on our hot spaghetti it would make it cool enough for it to eat. We still call it "cooler off'er" instead of cheese.

B (from food : general)

As a young child I believed that when I turned into an adult I'd have to go in the store naked to get adult clothes.

Anon (from grown-ups : getting older)

When I was younger I used to believe that Albuquerque was in Japan, because my Japanese grandparents had a house there. This illusion was shattered when the pizza man came to the door and spoke english.... and was white.

Anon (from grown-ups : family)

I believed that when you farted, bubbles came out from your bum. And I couldn't figure out how come there were never any just hanging around. And then one day I figured it out! The bubbles were popping on our clothes (underwear), of course! It made total sense.

Sar (from body functions : farting)

When I was about 3 or 4, I used to belive that the steam coming from the back of an airplaine was the airplaine farting

Sami (from transport : aeroplanes)

When my children were growing up we were very close with another family and often our visits would last past regular bedtime. On occasion the visit would turn into a sleep over. One night the other family was getting ready to leave but as usual the other mother and I lingered, still chatting at the door. My oldest daughter and her's repeatedly interupted asking for a sleep over. Again and again they were told no but they kept asking. Finally I turned and said "read my lips, the answer is no" to which my daughter burst out crying "But I can't read!"

little b (from language : speaking)

My grandpa had a knack for kite flying. He could send pieces of paper all the way up the string to the kite. One day, one fell off that I didn't see: he rubbed it on the grass and then told me it hit the moon; the green edges on the paper were proof, since the moon is made of green cheese. Unfortunately, I was laughed out of "show and tell" in kindergarden when I related this story.

Jeff (from kids : toys)

I used to believe that if I went to Antarctica I could stand upside down. (That's when i first learned of a globe)

Anon (from the world : places)

When I was a kid I remember hearing about and watching rockets being sent into space. I asked my mum about it and she explained that they were learning stuff about space so they sent someone up there to look around, but it cost a lot of money and could be dangerous.

For years I couldn't understand why they didn't just ask superman to go have a look for them.

Superman fan (from nature : outer space)

When i was little my dad used to reflect light off his watch onto the wall and tell me it was tinkerbell the fairy off peter pan.
He never sat me in front of the tv or anything to make me shut up, just shined his watch on the wall just high enough so i couldn't touch it. I used to spend hours jumping up the wall to try and "catch" her........
This practice stopped when i ran at the wall in frustration and ended up with a nosebleed....

easily entertained girl with a wonky nose ]:( (from make-believe : fairies)

When I was 4 or 5 my Grandma told me while we were riding in the car, that If I didn't duck my head when we went under a bridge I would get a nasty bump
You know I ducked my head for years after she told me that, I think into my teens.

Michael (from transport : cars)

I was adopted at 2 1/2 so my Dad always told me adpoted children were the best kind because my parents got to pick me out and other parents were just stuck with the kids they got.

When my parents adopted my little sister (I was 4) they let me go into the room to "pick her out" For years I held it over her that she wouldn't even be here if I hadn't picked her out. I think I was around 12 when I remembered the detail that there was no other child in the room besides my then 9 month old sister. My sister was in the late teens when she figured out the truth.

Anon (from grown-ups : family)

when i was little, my parents put a jar on top of the refrigerator, and anytime any of us farted or belched, we had to put a whole dollar in the jar....boy, did i lose my weekly allowances very quickly.....

Anon (from body functions : farting)

When I was little, in the 80's, fur coats were still very popular for women, even in the relatively mild climate of central Maryland. My mom badly wanted one, but we couldn't really afford it (and I gave her a very hard time about wearing a dead animal, even at the age of 5).
She would still look every time we were in a coat store, and so I would follow her through the racks, touching each one, because I liked how soft the fur was, even if I didn't approve.
She pulled one floor length coat off the rack, held it up, and said "This one is Australian opposum". Knowing that North American possums are fairly small animals, and not understanding that multiple pelts got sewn together, my eyes got huge and I said "How big do they get there?" She laughed til her face turned red and she had tears streaming down her cheeks.

SH (from animals : general)

When you caught the white fuzzy things that fly through the air, that was part of Santa Claus' beard and it meant you were being good.

elizabethany (from make-believe : father christmas)