My Mom always used the phrase "For all intensive purposes" when I was growing up, and (of course) I picked it up too. When I was around 25 years old or so, I learned the correct phrase is "For all intents and purposes". I thought, wow, Mom's been saying it wrong all these years, but I never said anything to her about it. About 5 years later, she was watching Wheel of Fortune, and the puzzle solution was "For all intents and purposes". She said,"Heh! Well I'll be damned! I've been saying it wrong for all these years! " She was around 60 at the time.
A childhood belief about speaking

others believed things like this
- I once thought that there were little mice under the wheel on Wheel of Fortune making the wheel move— Kara
- I used to believe that "Wheel of Fortune" was called "Squeal of Fortune." I don't know why.— Joey Schwartzman
- For years and years I thought telephone poles grew.— Maureen
- For years and years I believed that tuna must be really little fish because they came in such small cans!!— Gisela
- i was always told if i picked my nose my brain would fall out! i belived it for years!Anon
- My Mum told me if I ate too much toast I would get cancer! I couldn't eat it for years and years...— Pauliboy