20 people share their hilarious childhood beliefs before the adult reality set in

As we grow up, we gradually learn that not everything we once believed as children is true. Our childhood years are often filled with innocence and a sense of wonder, where the lines between reality and fantasy blur effortlessly. Whether it's believing that swallowing a watermelon seed would make one grow in your belly or thinking that stepping on a crack would indeed break your mother's back, the ideas we held as kids were often fueled by a combination of curiosity, imagination and sometimes the playful mischief of older siblings or friends.

So, when u/irizih asked the Reddit community, "What’s the most ridiculous thing you believed as a child?" People shared their intriguing beliefs, which serve as a reminder of how much we have grown and how our perspectives have evolved. Also, it sparked a thread of responses where people shared their hilarious and heartwarming stories, reflecting on the absurdities they held onto during their formative years. Here, we are sharing the top 20 responses that will make you chuckle a bit.

1. Childhood dreams

"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." -u/yourdigigirlfriend

2. Fun at the ocean

"I grew up very close to the ocean. 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 way to pretend to hear that." -u/Background-Two-8999

3. Conveyor belt mystery

"I used to believe that when your luggage went on a conveyor belt at the airport, your luggage would go all of the way to your destination on that conveyor belt." -u/Apprehensive_Sand343

4. Giraffe's prank

"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 realized how ridiculous it was once I said it out loud." -u/Neither-Engine-5852

5. Santa Claus and God

"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." -u/Critical-One-366

6. Monster in the attic

"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)." -u/YELLOW_TOAD

7. The crack fear

"I 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!" -u/moonlightjasminee

8. The tooth fairy

"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 she was THE tooth fairy. I thought that I was the tooth fairy's daughter." -u/Honey_Kitten18

9. Quicksand

"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." -u/Round_Corgi2610

10. Fear of rabies

"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." -u/keirashae96

11. Kitchen walls 

"That when there was a thunderstorm, it was the sun and the rain fighting and whoever won would decide what the weather the next day would be. When you ate something, it went all the way down to your feet. That queen bee wore a crown. That the stain on the kitchen wall was watching me." -u/Puzzleheaded_Exit_45

12. Being an adult

"Being an adult is easy. I thought money just came to you and houses would fall in line. Cars would be ready and food always be available. I thought being an adult would be easy." -u/tearsoflostsouls420

13. Tink-toinker

"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 friend's car. Told them the tink-toinker 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!" -u/susieq1485

14. Countries in the sky

"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? You gotta go back down like an elevator." -u/Time_Ad7995

15. Drinking and driving

"That my mom was committing a crime every day 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 was up to crime again and then head off to school." -u/PigletPancakes

16. Trust theory

"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." -u/drinkwhatyouthink

17. Credit vs. Debit

"I didn’t quite know what credit or debit actually meant. I thought that credit meant we had points and the store was giving us the stuff for free. I thought that debit meant we were going into debt and we couldn’t pay for it. So when the cashier would ask my mom which she was using, I would either do a little happy dance or look very sad, depending on what she said." -u/TheEggieQueen

18. Jail-to-Cop

"When I was a little kid, I watched a movie where a former criminal became a cop. I thought this was what happened in real life. If you got caught and went to jail, they trained you to be a cop and then you were forced to catch other bad people or you went back to jail." -u/OfficeChairHero

19. Real life catching up

"My dad had me believing that if I got a college degree, I would be able to get a good job, buy a house, support a family and have some extra spending money. So ridiculous!" -u/sisucas

20. Goodbye to airplanes

"My dad died when I was less than 2 years old. Maybe because we were too young, my mom knows we won't be able to grasp the concept of death. So, from toddler to school age, every time an airplane passed by, my younger sister and I would be waving at the airplane shouting 'bye Daddy!!!'" -u/Technical_Notice_967