[Maquisard]

When I was a wee lad, about 13 years of age, I had first discovered the dark recesses of the internet that housed its substantial porn collection. Feeling slightly guilty about accessing websites that clearly stated you had to be 18 to enter, I happened upon a search result that stated: child porn. I thought that this was porn made to be more age-appopriate for children such as myself, and I happily clicked on the link. Luckily, nothing came up.

What was your biggest childhood misconception?

[artwking4]

Animal crackers are neither made out of animals, nor are they a cracker.

[Junkface]

I thought that Lenin and Lennon were the same guy. Always thought it was cool that after taking over Russia someone would move on to being a rockstar.

[SakSquash]

I used to think that when you took a bath, you could save money by scooping the water out of the bathtub and throwing it outside because I thought that the water company charged you by how much went down the drain. I even brought it up in science class and everyone was like HUHHH?!

[simpson_yellow]

I thought every corner was specifically designated either left or right. For example, turning from Station Road onto Windmill Lane was always a left hand turn no matter which direction you were coming from.

I put a lot of wasted effort into memorising all the corners in my neighbourhood.

[Tobbe]

Hmmm...I gotta say that I don´t recall having any, not any big one, then I would remeber it..

[simpson_yellow]

You seem to be under the misconception that you've never had any misconceptions.

self

[Tobbe]

Hehe! =)

[Kolzig]

I had a lot of misconceptions in my childhood but thankfully I've been really efficient in forgetting those awkward situations since I got older.

[Wormsie]

I was very young, probably less than five years or something. My uncle and aunt were visiting us. Like many kids, I wanted lots of attention from people, so while the adults were talking in the kitchen, I drew pictures and rushed to the kitchen to show those to them - after they lost interest, I'd go back to my own room and quickly draw another one.

I was somehow on a very joyous mood, so I drew a picture of a house with happy people in it, including mom, dad, myself and my brother. I named the house ilotalo, house of joy.

What I didn't know as a kid was that the word ilotalo actually meant a brothel.

Imagine my confusion when dad started explaining something very strange about the word that I couldn't understand at all. All I could understand was that I had done something wrong.

Let down and confused, I went back to my room and stayed there until the guests had left.

Grownups sure know how to take the joy out of every innocent word.

[RLacey]

When I was younger I used to believe that people liked me...

I had to say it. It's not true, though.

[pinkgothic]

My biggest childhood misconception would have to be thinking that people actually mean to be nasty if they taunt you with something (as in, really nasty, as opposed to just, well, playful nasty, if you get what I mean).

Or, worse, that people will continue to like you if you don't do anything to harm them.

And whatever I've gone and forgotten again. I know I had a couple of thoughts about science which were never disproven to me, but I still no longer really share. Don't know if they were misconceptions, though. (Nor would I remember all the science-oddities I came up with)

[Stoofa]

I'm always encountering these things, it's like they rest in the back of my mind unchallenged until finally something happens in my adult life to make me realise that I've been wrong wrong wrong.

A recent one of mine is that I always thought that eating a potato eye would kill you. I just accepted it as a fact of life and carefully carved potato eyes out of every potato I peeled.

Once my ex-step-mother told me that the sky is blue because it reflects the water. I had to set her straight on that one. I was about 10 at the time, she was in her early 40s.

[Jazhara7]

Originally Posted by Stoofa

A recent one of mine is that I always thought that eating a potato eye would kill you. I just accepted it as a fact of life and carefully carved potato eyes out of every potato I peeled.

Well, it is indeed not healthy to eat potato eyes or green patches of potatoes when they're raw (and even when they're cooked, you should be wary, especially of green parts and sprouts, as those contain toxins). The green parts of the potato plant are poisonous (same with tomatoes, eggplant, etc.).

Potatoes are plants of the Nightshade family, just like tomatoes. Most plants of the nightshade family have poison somewhere in them (if not everywhere). Children should not be allowed to eat the green bud on even ripe tomatoes (and neither should anyone eat unripe tomatoes), because their bodies require a smaller amount of poison to be dangerous. Adults are a bit more resistant, though I would still be careful.


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[beat!the!champ!]

Up until now I never knew potatos were in the Nightshade family.

When I was very young I thought statues of winged people were vampire statues and they scared the crap outta me.

[Maquisard]

Originally Posted by SakSquash

I used to think that when you took a bath, you could save money by scooping the water out of the bathtub and throwing it outside because I thought that the water company charged you by how much went down the drain. I even brought it up in science class and everyone was like HUHHH?!

Was this idea inspired by the saying "money down the drain"?

[Stoofa]

Originally Posted by Jazhara7

Well, it is indeed not healthy to eat potato eyes or green patches of potatoes when they're raw (and even when they're cooked, you should be wary, especially of green parts and sprouts, as those contain toxins). The green parts of the potato plant are poisonous (same with tomatoes, eggplant, etc.).

Potatoes are plants of the Nightshade family, just like tomatoes. Most plants of the nightshade family have poison somewhere in them (if not everywhere). Children should not be allowed to eat the green bud on even ripe tomatoes (and neither should anyone eat unripe tomatoes), because their bodies require a smaller amount of poison to be dangerous. Adults are a bit more resistant, though I would still be careful.


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Researching Nightshade is actually how I discovered that potato eyes will not kill you instantly! I already knew not to eat green potatoes (it's something that was drilled into me from a child) but the potato eyes thing I think my grandmother told me, she probably heard it as a superstition. She believes in all of the old superstitions, for example that cats will steal your breath in the night.

[lumi]

I thought the black market was a literal market you could walk around in and by illegal things.

[Jazhara7]

I used to believe the Amber Room was a secret room in our house, after I heard my sisters talking about it, and they didn't want to tell me where it was.

But who knows, maybe it's hidden up in our attic. I've never been there, so why not?

Originally Posted by Spider Crusoe

I thought the black market was a literal market you could walk around in and by illegal things.

Heh, same here.

I guess it could be called true in some places though, with the difference that you don't instantly see who is a market seller, and they are not very likely to take part in the market crier's competitions in Hamburg (I think it was Hamburg).


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[RLacey]

I remember that at one point I thought that my father was going to be at permanent risk of arrest because he once jumped a red light.

I also used to think that water disappeared forever after it went down the plug-hole. I have Sesame Street to blame for that...

I seem to have forgotten any interesting or amusing misconceptions that I used to have, though.