grown-ups

I used to believe…

My dad was born in 1943 and was drafted into the Army during Vietnam; he was discharged two years later. So for years I believed that every adult male had to be in the military for two years. I really dreaded it for a long time.

I used to believe…

When I was 6 I wanted to be a Barbie Doll when I grew up. I practiced the words my "talking Barbie" would say until I had them memorised, and I wore my moms pointy toed shoes everywhere (I even painted them hot pink once-washable, thankfully). I was in third grade before I realised Barbies were NOT people too.

I used to believe…

ive always wanted to be a twin, and i used to believe that if i was always good, i would somehow become a twin (i always thought that twins were good children who were so good, they got their wish!)

I used to believe…

When I was little, I thought that when I reach my mom's age, I had to call her something else besides 'mom'. I went up to her and asked her "mom, what do i call you when i'm older?"

I used to believe…

My daughter asked me what my husband and I were like when we were little and were brother and sister. She thought that her and her brother would grow up and be husband and wife.

I used to believe that when you got older you would be able to read other people's mind. I thought this because I would watch my mom and her friends talking and one would start a sentence and someone else would finish it.

I used to believe…

My mother always said I should write a book called, "I Useda Think.." Finally There's a place out there for all the rediculous things "I Useda think" as a child. One of them goes like this..

I Useda Think that If you were born as one sex, half-way through your life you turned into the other sex.

I still, after all of these years, remember the time my Nan rinsed her silver hair with a shade of blue. I also remember thinking that she was an alien replacement that looked very 'human' but forgot to get'human' hair. I think it took a couple of days and a lot of convincing from my Mum to believe that it was really my Nan.

I used to believe…

One day my mom told me that someone got fired from a job. I asked her what it meant and she said "Fired means when you burn in Hell" I didn't notice her sarcasm. Weeks later she told me she got fired and I started crying!

I used to believe…

My grandmother told me when I was a small child that the reason my grandfather did not have hair was because everytime she kissed him he lost a hair. I would not let my grandmother kiss me until I was much older.

I used to believe…

When I was 9 or 10 I heard a word "prostitute". I asked my dad what it meant anh he told me "It's a woman, wearing nice dresses who goes dancing with all men who want it". So I tolm him: "I would like to be a prostitute". Later I became a teacher

I used to believe that the adult age begins at age 20, after I learned the law at age 14.

I used to believe…

My parents grew up in the Third World nation and my mother and my father's height was only 5' 2". I used to think that if my parents would apply for a job, watch R movies, purchase alcohol, drive, or anything that is for grown-ups, people would might say that they're still a child or they're not adults yet. Because most of the people that I see in America were at an average stature from 5'7 to 5'11. In my view, my parents were like teenagers because of their height.

I used to believe…

When I was 6 years old, I heard my father tell my mother that a man he worked with had been fired and my mind envisioned a man being made to walk into a flaming and burning room - but then I told myself that nobody would work at a job if they could be made to walk into a flaming room if they did something wrong. I realized that I needed to find out what "fired" meant.

I used to believe…

When I was a little girl, adults would say things like when you grow up and choose a husband...
I visualized one day, an older me inspecting a long line of prospective husbands. A distressing prospect since at 6 or 7 I could not imagine what I would want in a husband, even why I would even want one.

I used to believe my parents had been captured by the Invaders from Mars and programmed to act very weird all the time. I was always looking for those small pinholes in the movie on the back of their necks as proof. It was the only explanation I could come up with for their behavior.