sleeping

When i was little i used to think that when you slept you could accidentaly swallow your tongue...so every night i would pinch my tongue between my teeth until i just fell asleep.

tongue eater

When I went to sleep, I usually slept on my side, so I could hear my pulse. I always thought that it was some army marching, but I never figured out where it was. I think that I also thought it someone saying "Thank You" over and over agian.

The Army of Thank You's

my first bad dream was about this big scary-ass cloud of smoke that came into my room to get me. When I told my parents in the morning they told me not to worry it was just a nightmare. For years I thought that nightmares were scary-ass clouds of smoke that occasionally came into your room and got you.

J.Marchant (London)

Once my mom told me that I woke up one night screaming "bloody murder". I didn't know that saying, so I thought I literally was yelling "bloody murder". I told all my friends at school what I screamed.

JD

I was once told that whatever you dreamed was what you would be later in life. Ex: If you dreamed about murdering somebody, you would grow up to be a murderer. This still terrifies me as I have dreams involving kidnapping and murder.

Valerie

I use to believe that while I was asleep a mini choo choo train went through one ear and out the other. I stayed up several nights trying to catch it happening, but I never did.lol

Misty

when i was younger i thought when you go to sleep if you put your arms across your chest and cross them you would die! so stupid!

Anon

I used to believe that when you slept it was like you were temporarily dead and that your dreams were stuff that were happening to your soul when it was out of the body, in Heaven.

Anon

I woke up one night when I was about four and decided I was cold, so I put on my thickest Aron (kind of wool) cardigan and got into bed. Two minutes later my mum came in a saw me. She got me up and changed, cos as she said, I would have melted in that. For many (believe me - too many!)I believed that I would have melted into a puddle and materialisd somewhere else!!!!!

Lisa Willson

For years and years I used to believe that when you fell asleep, you died and that a new you inherited your body and all your memories. I was so scared to go to sleep on Christmas Eve and the night before my birthday because I thought it would actually be the new me who got to experience the day rather than the me that I was that particular day. I'd try to stay awake all night and outsmart the new me so I could experience a longer lifetime than other people and so I wouldn't lose Christmas or my birthday to whoever took over my body.

Anon

This isn't so much childhood belief as childhood logic.
When I was a kid and I was dreaming I was always terrified at the fact that I couldn't figure out whether I was dreaming or not. But one day I realised that whatever you don't want to happen in dreams is generally what happens. So I took a fear I used to have as a child of being scared of gorillas to overcome this.
When ever I was sleeping and not quite sure whether I was or not I would use reverse psycology on my subconscious mind and repeat the words "I hope a gorilla doesn't show up" over and over, and if one appeared I realised I was in a dream and had nothing to be worried about.

jack diddly squat

When the house was silent and i was in bed, i could hear my own pulse but because i had a strange imagination i thought that it was a giant man comin to kill me but i was protected my an alarm. The only thing that got me to sleep was the thought that he doesnt know my alarm code. I was still scared though.

Jna (UK, 16)

When i was 3 i was visitng family in the dominian republic with my mom. at my grandma's house she has a big grandfather clock. My mom told me that if i didn't fall asleep before i hard the midnight chime that cinderella would come and take me to the ball with her and i could never come back. i was so scared i couldnt sleep so when i heard the clock strike 12 i ran to my aunts room and fell asleep under the chair thinking i out smarted cinderella. i was such a spaz

Vanessa

I used to think that in the middle of the night you died and in the morning you came back to life.

cassie

When I was 5-7 years old, I used to think that when I went to sleep the t.v. and VCR were talking to me. How strange I was!

Jessica

I used to belive that goats were watching me in the window at night when I went to bed. After I went to sleep, they would jump in my window and puppets would dance around my room while the goats ate my socks and that is why I could never find the matches to any of my socks.

Consuella

When I was little I had this idea that if I dream about people maybe someone was dreaming of me and everything I was doing was just a part of their dream. I was terrified that the person would wake up and I would disappear.

Dawn

When my sister was little she spent ages getting ready for bed every night. she'd put on make up and perfume. when I asked why she said "I want to look my best in case any of the boys in my class dream about me"!

louise