As we look back on our childhood memories, it’s easy to recall that moment when we finally realized not everything was as simple as it was made out to be. You may have been surprised—or even had your beliefs challenged—by any things you took for granted growing up. Here are twenty facts about something precious from our childhoods that shocked and amazed us!
1. Cats Were Female, Dogs Were Male
One user shared, “Cats were female, dogs were male.” Another user replied, “My 50-year-old sister-in-law refers to all dogs as he and all cats as she.” One user commented, “My mom refers to ALL animals as she. A dog with the biggest coin purse will still be a she in her eyes. 😆”
2. Helicopters Would Wait for You to Climb Up
One Redditor commented, “If you waved at a helicopter, it’d throw down a rope ladder and refuse to leave until you climbed up. I used to make a conscious effort to keep my arms completely straight by my sides in case the pilot misinterpreted me scratching my nose or something.”
One user replied, “You refused to show up for duty, shameful.”
3. Music on the Radio Was Played Live
“Thought that the music on the radio was played by live bands at the radio station,” a user shared.
One user commented, “Similar vein, I thought people on TV had died in. My mom loved the movie Stepmom with Susan Sarandon, and of course, it’s hinted that she dies in the end. Low and behold, imagine my surprise when I saw her in a different movie sometime later.”
A user replied, “I did that for a little bit … but the thing that brings me shame to this day is that I thought that movies that had a character shown as being both young and old meant they had to wait for the actor to finish growing up for them to finish the film.”
4. That My Aunt Was “At Fat Camp”
One user shared, “That my aunt was ‘away at fat camp’ when she was serving a several month sentence in county jail. The next time I saw her, she was much thinner, so I didn’t think twice about it … ”
Another user commented, “Your family is both bogus and hilarious for this.”
One disappointed user replied, “Ngl, while ‘fat camps’ for kids are cruel, as an adult, I’d love to go to one just for grown-ups. You’d just be fed healthy food, get to exercise out in the woods for a summer trimming up your physique, a smattering of arts/crafts, and stupidly catchy campfire songs mixed in.”
5. If I Ate a Seed, It Would Grow Inside Me
“If I ate a seed, it would grow inside me, and I’d die,” one Redditor posted.
Another user replied, “Yup. I ate a watermelon seed when we had a babysitter. I went to bed, freaked out, and started screaming and crying. God loves the babysitter. She earned her money that night!”
Another user commented, “Made her work hard that night, lmao … “
6. The Day Began at 7 Am
One user added, “Each new day began at 7 a.m.
“Why I thought this, I do not know. But, despite being allowed to ‘stay up to watch the ball drop and bring in the new year,’ I was convinced the date didn’t change until 7 am each morning.”
Another commented, “Someone was an ambitious child.”
Another user replied, “If you worked in linear television, then the ‘day’ actually does begin at 6 a.m. (and goes until 6 a.m. the next day).”
7. Everybody Has a Whale
“A new family with a kid my age (7 or 8) moved in next door. They were from Alabama. So I introduced her to all my friends. One day, she pipes up and starts telling us that back in Alabama, everybody has a whale in their backyard. We’re like … what? A real whale, with water and everything. We told her to show us a pic of your whale. Now, we’re expecting to see Shamu in a big tank in her backyard, like at SeaWorld. It was a well…a f- well. Alabamians talk funny. We were so disappointed … ” one Redditor said.
One user replied, “Hahaha, this is my fav. So cute!”
8. Having the Dome Light on While Driving Was Illegal
One user shared, “I read somewhere it’s not illegal, but an overzealous cop could assume it is distracted driving, which is illegal. Either way, my dad placed it on par with murder regarding illegality.”
Another user commented, “Pretty much goes to show that anything is illegal if you look long enough.”
9. That Elderberries Were Old Berries
“That elderberries were old berries,” one user shared.
Another user replied, “Lol. My little guy once asked me if boysenberries had boys in them.”
10. That Dad Could Control the Stoplights
A user shared, “My dad convinced us kids that he could control the stoplights. He did it with a straight face for YEARS.”
One user added, “My mom would have us ‘blow’ on the light when it had been red too long, lol.”
11. That My Parents’ Waterbed Had an Octopus
“That my parents’ waterbed had an octopus living inside that my mom had to feed in secret. It kept the bed stable when they were lying on it and kept the water warm. IDK, man, I had a weird childhood,” one Redditor posted.
One user replied, “I’m here for the Cthulhu-style sleeping arrangements. 8-point massage at the end of the day!”
The OP responded, “I bragged about it to my friends for years.”
12. Adults Know Everything
One Redditor added to the thread, “Adults know everything. Adults never do anything wrong.”
Another user commented, “In addition to that, I believed teachers held the same authority as cops.”
13. That Rice Was Potatoes Cut Into Small Pieces
One online user shared, “That rice was actually potatoes cut into small pieces.”
Another user responded, “When my kid was younger, they used to refer to hard-boiled egg yolk as cheese. I thought it was cute and never corrected them. Then, one day, I found out they actually thought cheese was made out of egg yolk. [They] didn’t believe it was milk, and honestly got angry with me at the correction.”
14. My Dolls Were Dead Babies
“My dolls were real babies who had died,” a user shared.
Another user replied, “I thought that too. My mama couldn’t figure out why I wouldn’t play with dolls, but I was scared if I told her, I’d die. HOW I came to this conclusion is beyond me, but I cracked up because my 5-year-old daughter asked me if her reborn (that she insisted on getting) was a real dead baby.
“I can only imagine how f- up I would’ve been if my mom bought me a reborn, lol.”
One user commented, “That’s hilarious and disturbing.”
15. That You Died of Old Age
One online user mentioned, “That you died of ‘old age.’ I now know that even if you’re 100 years old, it has to be something that gets you (or, more likely, a combination of factors). But I thought you just get old, and that’s it, you’re done … because you’re old. Maybe that’s not incredibly stupid, but I believed it for quite a while.
“Edit: I also believed we could use up all the air on Earth since the population was growing, but the Earth stayed the same size. So I tried not to breathe too hard so everyone would have enough. In case you’re wondering, yes, I have anxiety.”
One user added, “When I ask patients their family medical history, I’ll have older patients in their 70s or whatever, and I’ll ask them how their parent died, a lot just seem confused and say ‘old age.’
16. That Undertow Was “Under Toad”
“I grew up in Florida, so we went to the beach a lot. As children, we were told many, many times to ‘be careful of the undertow’ (if you’re not familiar, it’s current under the waves that can pull you out to sea in the right conditions).
“Well, as a child, I thought it was the ‘under toad.’ I genuinely thought it was a lurking creature that would grab children and pull them to the sea to eat them. I’d have nightmares about the undertoad. It haunted me every time I went to the beach. I’m embarrassed to say how old I was when I realized I was wrong …” shared one user.
17. You Literally Fall Apart When You’re Old
One user commented, “I had a relative that had diabetes and it got pretty bad when they got older. They ended up losing their legs and having to live in a special nursing home. My aunt and uncle took me to visit her when I was about 5. Almost EVERYONE there was older and they were missing limbs and fingers and such. So my dumbass believed for YEARS that you just started falling apart, literally, the older you got. I’m embarrassed at how long I believed that s- … “
18. The Tooth Fairy
“If you leave your baby tooth under your pillow at night, a fairy will leave you money, lol,” one user stated.
The OP replied, “I was waiting for someone to say this because I wholeheartedly believed in the tooth fairy as a child.”
19. Elevators Were Manually Raised by People
One user posted, “I thought elevators were manually raised and lowered by an unseen team of very strong men at the top of the building.”
Another Redditor commented, “I thought stop lights were also manually operated. Imagine that job.”
20. My Grandparents Lived in Christmastown
“My paternal grandparents live in Christmastown. When I was a child, we only visited my paternal grandparents once a year in December, and I spent the entire month at their house. So if I was at home, it was not Christmas time; if I was at my grandparent’s house, it was Christmas time. Therefore, my grandparents live in Christmastown. I learned the truth when I was like 5,” one Redditor posted.
How about you? So, do you also have something to share? Add your comments below!
Source: Reddit.
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