What happens when kids' lack of life experience and strong imaginations work together to create wacky beliefs? Here are a few of the most hilarious and heartfelt responses.
1. A Fairy Took Baby Teeth
Was there anything more magical than putting a baby tooth under the pillow only to wake up in the morning with a quarter or dollar bill underneath? Believing in the tooth fairy made losing teeth a fun experience. Many adults have passed this on to their children.
2. Did You See Santa?
Many children anxiously awaited 364 days a year for the chance of seeing Santa sailing his gift-filled carriage across the sky, only to learn he wasn't real as they grew older. The magical is in the belief — that Santa can be as real as we want him to be, right?
3. Adults Know What They're Doing
Many kids believe as a fact that adults know everything. While it would be nice to grow up and figure everything out, that's not how life works.
4. The Key to the City Is All-Powerful
When the hero saves the town and the mayor hands them the key to the city in movie after movie, kids begin to believe that “this key” is a powerful tool. One person says they thought a ceremonial key could open any doors inside the city like a wide-reaching skeleton key.
5. Teachers Never Leave the School
It's common for kids to be shocked when they first see their teacher out in public in town. Many kids believe their teachers don't have lives outside of school and instead come into existence every morning when class begins. It turns out that teachers are actually human beings with their own lives. Who'd have thought?
6. Watermelons Will Grow in Your Tummy
I remember believing this one as a kid. I loved watermelon (and still do.) At summer camp, I'd shovel watermelon slices into my mouth without regard for the seeds until one of my counselors told me that I better watch out or I'll start growing watermelons in my tummy. I was more careful from then on.
7. Brown Cows Make Chocolate Milk
Kids' logic can both make sense and be completely ridiculous at the same time. Many children believe that white cows make milk and brown cows make chocolate milk. But there's a problem with this logic. Where do we get strawberry milk if there are no pink cows?
8. Swallowing Your Gum Turns You Into an Ogre
Some say they were terrified of swallowing their gum as a kid because they feared it would turn them into “ogres.” While I've never heard this one before, I've listened to various iterations of this childhood belief. I thought if I swallowed my gum, it would stay in my digestive system for years.
9. Quicksand Is a Massive Threat
What's with all those cartoons displaying quicksand as an inevitable threat to our livelihood? While quicksand is scary, most people will never come across it in their lives. “I thought that quicksand was around every corner waiting to get me,” one person laments.
10. We Have To Mow the Lawn, or the Grass Will Grow Forever
Unmowed grass quickly becomes unruly, but I've never seen it grow taller than six feet high. But kids with limited life experience often believe that we must mow the grass or it will continue to grow forever and ever and reach the sky.
11. Flatulence Outdoors Is Impossible
Children learn a lot by observing their surroundings, which can lead to zany beliefs. One commenter says they grew up thinking it's impossible to toot outside. “I never saw my dad do it, so it's impossible,” they share.
12. If You Reach the Horizon, You Can Touch the Sky
