speaking

I always believed movable bungalows were called "dungalows" and always believed it was right.

I visited a park when I was younger called "duinrell" in Holland and it's not until a couple days ago when I visited the website that I realised "duingalow" is just a gimmick..

I am 21.

Nina

When I was a little girl, my Father would take us out for lunch at a new restaurant every Sunday after church. I remember back now...to a moment, when my father used humor to discipline us in public quietly. I did not happen to chance to a belief that was completely off the mark. For my father implanted this belief into my brain. Not realizing that I would "really" believe him. anyways...back to the story...on this particular Sunday my sisters and I got a little more rambunctous than was proper. As all kids do from time to time when out sitting quietly for too long in a freshly pressed dress. anyways...I noticed a no soliciting sign on the wall and asked my father..."What does no soliciting mean daddy?". He answered, "it means you can't spank your children in here." I interpreted his humorous answer to mean that I ought to calm down. Which is I think what he intended. but then...later in life...I would read those signs and wonder why people couldn't spank their children there. When I began dating my husband in 1993 and one day I went to meet him for dinner at his parent house. On the door was a "no soliciting" sign. I remember commenting to my then boyfriend..."You can't spank your kinds here?" upon arriving at the door. Rob looked at me and said something like, "what are you talking about?" I think I said, "well no soliciting means no spanking your kids here right?" My now husband Robert lovingly replied, "no it means you cannot try to sell something here." when he told me this as gently as he did I did believe him and my brain wandered back to that day when I first learned the meaning of "no soliciting". I had believed my father's humorous discipline most certainly longer than he expected. I never got the chance to tell him about this hilarious misunderstanding. maybe someday I will whoop it up with him once again. ;)

Nikki

I used to believe that, in a deep and profound kind of way, the words "door knob" rhymed with "said so".

Katie

I used to think artistic meant autistic. I would always get angry when someone complemented my brothers drawings in our room.

Alan

I used to think that use your head meant you had to head butt

R

When I was little, I always misheard the word "ultimatum" and thought it was "ultomato." I didn't understand what making demands had to do with tomatoes, but I figured it was something bad.

Jennifer F.

I used to believe that pathetic meant ugly. One day when I was sick, my mom said that I looked pathetic and asked if I needed help. I got really mad at her and said that it was mean of her to call me ugly. She just was like "what?" Then I said "Pathetic means ugly" she started laughing and wouldnt let me live it down.

pathetic gal

This isn't my belief, buy when my sister was little, she thought a hamster was a type of pig, a fetish was a large rat, and a bra was a beautiful woman.
My mother got very mad at me for teaching her these things when my sister told her teacher that she was her favourite bra ever.

Julia

When I was young, I heard the word "castrated" somewhere, which means to cut off one's penis. At the time, for some reason or another, I thought it meant to abandon something, like "abandon ship!" So, my younger brother and I were sledding one snowy winter evening, and we were headed for a tree... would you like to guess what I shouted?

eagles forever!

I thought bathing suits were called "baby suits".

Katie

When I was small I would watch adults talk, and they would often use their hands to make gestures while they were talking. I thought those gestures were like a second language that adults used simultaneously while speaking. I kept wondering when they were going to teach us that language in school.

Anon

When I was small I used to watch a lot of PBS shows, and at the end they always say, "This program was brought to you by..." and then list funders. They would always say that part really fast, so I thought that "broughtoyouby" was a single word. Never could figure out what it meant.

Anon