When I was younger, I thought that stores that displayed Help Wanted signs were encouraging people to help criminals wanted by the law. I always felt very roguish shopping at these stores.

I didn't realize that the signs meant that the store was hiring until I was about 10 years old.

Lindsey B

When I was about 5, up until I was 7 or 8 years old, I used to avoid or run/sneak past any windows in the house when it was dark outside. I belived that there were snipers positioned outside who would shoot at me if they spotted me.

Anon

When I was little my mum used to tell me it eas against the law to draw on myself in ball point pen, i believed her till i was 13

candy

I suppose that from the ages of about 6-8 I must have thought murders were a pretty common occurence, and that murderers must be generally on the prowl for sneaking in people's windows and stabbing up little kids. I suppose this is what I believed, as I distinctly remember piling my (not inconsiderable amount of) cuddley toys on top of me at night. I remember feeling very bad that I was putting my own life and feeling before those of my cuddlies, but doing it none the less. My idea being that is a murderer should come through my window his knife might not reach me through all my cuddley toys. It neither occurred to me that it was reasonably unlikely that a murderer would come in through my window, nor thathe might have some other weapon than a knife - say, a gun - against which my cuddley toys would provide no defense at all.

Rhube

Oh, around age six and anyone would talk about cat bulgerors, I thought it meant cats that would rob you. So every now and then, I'd make sure our cat (snickers) wasnt trying to rob us. (My parents really started to wonder) And at night, I would make my parents keep my bedroom door shut so snickers wouldnt rob me.

Once I misplaced my GI Joe box (had about 30 gi joes) and swore up and down that snickers had robbed me when I was asleep.

Needless to say, I had slid it under my bed, and snickers wasnt to blame at all =\

Dennis Kiper

I used to believe that there was only one law at a time, and that they changed the law once a year to something else. So, one year you might have to wear your seatbelt, the next year it would be against the law to steal things.

Not a bad idea, how simple would that make things?

Gerard McGarry

Ever since the age of 2 I read everything that I could get my little hands on: medicine bottles, Ajax cans, outdated newspapers, ANYTHING! One day I was crawling under my parents bed when I noticed a tag hanging from the mattress. It said "Remove this tag under penalty of law". In an uncharacteristic fit of defiance, I snatched the tag off. Then, fearing that the police were coming to get me, I hid in the closet for hours. Nothing happened and I finally crept out. But I looked over my shoulder for years, feeling like a felon, waiting to be arrested. It was only when I turned about 18 did I discover that the tag was meant for mattress dealers, to prevent them from selling used items as new for health reasons. But I finally felt free after over 15 years. What was I thinking!!!!

Linda Lou

I used to believe that jay walking was walking naked on the street.

Kendra

i used to believe "rape" was unauthorized twisting of a woman's breasts. It wasn't till I was 9 till I learned the truth.

Anon