When you’re young, everything seems interesting, mysterious, and fascinating. Kids' brains are sponge-like and seem to fire on all cylinders. That’s probably why they can think up crazy and impossible things without batting an eyelid.
To celebrate the beauty of youth and also inject some humor into your day, we’ve compiled a list of the most hilarious and ridiculous things folks truly believed when they were young. Who knows, maybe you’ll relate to some of these things!
More info: Reddit
#1
When I was a child, I asked my grandad why he was bald. He told me that he went to a zoo and a giraffe licked the hair off the top of his head. I never questioned this throughout my childhood. When I was about 19, I was out with my friends and we were talking about going bald. I said “my grandad went bald because a giraffe licked his hair off” and instantly realised how ridiculous it was once I said it out loud.
Image credits: Neither-Engine-5852
#2
When I was a kid, my mom explained to me that we all had belly buttons because that’s how our moms fed us before we were born. So I thought when you got pregnant, your belly button opened up and you just put whatever you wanted to down there. Like I thought women were just shoving chicken legs in their belly buttons.
Image credits: camila_applepie22
#3
I was convinced that the moon followed our car everywhere because it had a crush on my mom.
Image credits: Complex-Pass4023
Kids’ imaginations have almost no limits. Since they haven’t had many experiences, their minds are naturally curious about anything and everything. Although it might be easy for parents to dismiss their children’s thoughts as fantasy or silly, it’s important to understand why kids think this way.
A child can look at an empty box and see a world of possibilities that their parents would never be able to think up. This helps develop creativity and out-of-the-box thinking. As people grow up, this kind of imagination can also help them plan and ideate uniquely, which is the key for innovation.
#4
That quicksand was going to be something I would have to deal with as an adult. I was scared of not being able to get out of it. To this day I’ve never seen it. I’m in my mid thirties now.
Image credits: Round_Corgi2610
#5
That my mom was committing crime everyday by drinking and driving. I told the teacher and my mom had to come in and explain….she would bring tea with her in the car to drink.
Every morning my day would start with me thinking my mom is up to crime again and then head off to school.
Image credits: PigletPancakes
#6
When people died in movies they died in real life. Never understood why an actor would take a part in a movie knowing he would be [ended] during filming.
Image credits: SeductionWhisper
You might laugh at some of the things mentioned in this list. But if you look closely, you’ll realize that these childish thoughts show just how limitless children believe the world is. The laws of gravity, the rules of nature, and the boundaries of time and space are no match for a kid’s imagination.
This kind of thinking is also important for problem-solving. It can help a growing child see beyond the existing rules of the world and consider new ways to approach almost every situation.
#7
When I was like 7-8 years old I was convinced I could see a small outline of the statue of liberty from our garden, in reality it was a big networking antenna. We're living in Germany lol.
Image credits: BodyPillowCollector
#8
As a child, I genuinely believed that if I dug deep enough in the backyard, I could reach the other side of the world. I spent hours with a shovel, convinced I’d end up in another country. Reality hit when I barely got past the dirt.
Image credits: yourdigigirlfriend
#9
I believed that if professional wrestlers ran into each other in public (like the supermarket), that they’d immediately have to start fighting.
Image credits: bubba_oriley
It’s essential for parents to foster their children’s creative thinking. However, it’s also important to remember that a very overactive imagination may not always be a good thing. If a child always seems to be lost in daydreams, they might lose touch with reality.
Sometimes, kids may also prefer hanging out with imaginary friends over their real friends. This is when parents should step in and ensure their child has a healthy grasp on reality while also honing their creative abilities.
#10
That there was a monster in my attic. He loved us and protected us in our house while we slept. His name was "Fred", and he survived by eating feral cats in the neighborhood.
(My Dad told me this story).
Image credits: YELLOW_TOAD
#11
I thought that people singing on the radio were all in one big place, and they took turns going to the microphone. lol.
Image credits: saltybeachygirl
#12
That having the light on in the car, while you were driving was illegal and would get you pulled over.
My parents told me this. My siblings and I would never turn on the interior lights while the car was moving for the fear of my parents being arrested. .
Image credits: Yaaeee
The best way for kids to develop a healthy and curious mind is through reading stories, playing with open-ended toys, making art, spending time in nature, and engaging in pretend play. They should also be allowed to ask questions and share their thoughts without the worry of being laughed at or criticized.
#13
I believed that my mother was the tooth fairy. No, not the truth about everyone's mom being the tooth fairy and leaving them money, I thought that she was THE tooth fairy. I thought that I was the tooth fairy's daughter.
Image credits: Honey_Kitten18
#14
I used to think other countries were up in the sky, because planes…go in the sky. You fly up to 30,000 ft, get off in “Australia,” then if you want to go to a different country, board a plane and go up to 60,000. Want to return to Australia? Gotta go back down like an elevator.
Image credits: Time_Ad7995
#15
There was no colour in the world when black and white movies existed.
Image credits: Thanossing
If there’s one thing you take away from this list, it’s the importance of fostering your imagination. The saddest part about growing older is that you lose childhood whimsy. This happens because people often worry that it’s not socially acceptable to daydream or imagine things.
People even think it’s not mature to have silly, ridiculous, or over-the-top ideas. Therefore, in adulthood, insecurity takes center stage, and our childhood imagination takes a backseat. We should try our best to undo this.
#16
I thought my teacher in first grade lived at school. It never occurred to me she had a family, home or life.
Image credits: Bitter_Sea6108
#17
That waves came from whales slapping their tails on the water way far out in the ocean.
Image credits: SpicySnails
#18
I believed dog and cats were the same specirs, dogs were the males and cats the females...
Image credits: Professional_Cow1157
Even though some of the thoughts shared on this list might seem childish, it’s important to hold onto some of that whimsy. A little creativity and imagination never hurt anyone and can lend a spark of positivity to dull days.
Now it’s your turn to share! What are some ridiculous things you believed as a child that you may or may not still believe today?
#19
That when there was a thunderstorm it was the sun and the rain fighting, whoever won would decide what the weather the next day would be.
When you ate something that it went all the way down to your feet.
That queen bees wore a crown.
That the stain on the kitchen wall was watching me ?.
Image credits: Puzzleheaded_Exit_45
#20
This is so weirdly specific lol. We had two dogs and the girl got pregnant. What my grandma told little me was “Max put the puppies in Molly’s tummy through a little hole.” I had seen him humping her before so I accepted this explanation. Then when she actually had her puppies there were SO MANY! I knew humans only had like 1 or 2 at a time usually and I had never seen humans humping so I concluded that each individual “hump” transferred 1 baby in. So for humans to make a baby it was 1 thrust or 2 if you want twins.
#21
That if any part of me was exposed to the edge of the bed, the monster under my bed would eat me.
Image credits: Ima-Derpi
#22
I used to believe that when your luggage went on a conveyor belt at the airport, that your luggage would go all of the way to your destination on that conveyor belt.
Image credits: Apprehensive_Sand343
#23
I grew up very close to the ocean and on nice evenings we would take walks on the beach.
My mother would tell us that we should listen carefully when the sun was setting over the ocean because it would sizzle. (You know how when you put out a fire with water)
My sister and I went out of our ways to pretend to hear that.
Image credits: Background-Two-8999
#24
Being an adult is easy. I thought money just came to you and houses would fall in line. Cars would be ready. Food always available. I thought being an adult would be easy ☠️
Edit my spelling lol stupid fast thumbs.
Image credits: tearsoflostsouls420
#25
I believed the point of American football was to see how many players could land in a pile.
Image credits: Hemenucha
#26
That someone worked inside an ATM and fed the cash through the slot.
Image credits: Forgotten_Outlier
#27
That hamsters lived in Hamster-dam.
#28
When I was a child, the only time we went to Dairy Queen was for ice cream. I had no idea Dairy Queen sold hamburgers until I was an adult. I had always thought Dairy Queen only sold ice cream.
#29
I'm an animal lover, and when I was little my dad would discourage me from approaching wild animals by telling me that they would give me rabies, and if I got it I would have to get shots in my stomach. My aunt was having fertility treatments one year, and I saw my uncle give her shots in her stomach, and for years after, her being an animal lover like me, I thought that was her being treated for rabies.
Image credits: keirashae96
#30
Adults knew everything.
#31
That there was a tiny band in our car playing songs that came out of our radio. I was four.
Image credits: kinare
#32
That the sun and moon were the same thing - just different sides.
Image credits: cfresh12
#33
Mom said- when the ice cream truck plays music it’s out of ice cream. ?.
#34
I thought Santa Claus and God were the same person.
My dad also convinced me that Michael and Janet Jackson were the same person. The 80s were a wild ride.
Image credits: Critical-One-366
#35
People died with their tongues out.
#36
Used to think that if you stepped on a crack, it would literally break your mom’s back—like, I was convinced my mom had a “crack meter” or something! I remember avoiding cracks in the sidewalk like my life depended on it. Looking back, it's hilarious to think I had this mental image of a crack-detecting superpower. It’s funny how kids can take the most random things so seriously!
Image credits: moonlightjasminee
#37
That putting pepper on my food would actually put hair on my chest. I'm a female.
#38
That elephants were made of rubber and couldn’t get struck down by lightening ?LOL.
#39
My mom is pretty absent minded. She would always leave the turn signal on, and as a kid, I didn't know what it was called, but the sound annoyed me. So I used to tell her "mom, turn the tink-toinker off!" I never remember her laughing at me or anything, just like, oh ok, you're right, and turning it off.
So one day, at like 11-12 years old, I'm in my friends car. Tell then the tink tinker is still on. They are confused, I'm confused, then I start to get laughed at.
I honestly believed the turn signal was called "tink-toinker" for YEARS.
I was so embarrassed/ angry that no one in my family thought to correct me.. EVER!
#40
I thought woman gave birth from their belly button.
