25 things that people believed in as kids but they later turned out to be untrue

During our childhood, we often experience a deep fascination with the world around us. It leads to great curiosity about our surroundings and we often seek answers from our parents, teachers and media. While most of these sources are quite reliable and truthful, they sometimes tell us answers that we find out later are not very true. These childhood misconceptions can range from small things to more substantial ones. One very common belief that all kids can relate to is Santa Claus. The onset of Christmas has us in the holiday spirit and eagerly waiting for Santa.

However, we later realize that Santa is a fictional character that older people have told us to add a sense of wonder to our childhood. There is nothing wrong with this, but there is no denying that coming to know the truth about such things can evoke mixed feelings. But it is an essential part of growing up and indicates that we are growing as people and having a better understanding of the world around us. Similarly, u/Murky-Razzmatazz-393 asked the community, "What's a thing you believed as a kid that you now realize is completely false?" People have come up with fascinating yet funny things. Here are 25 of the most interesting ones that people had to share.

1. Adults were just winging it

That adults knew what they were doing. We're all just trying to make ends meet, navigating this strange world to the best of our abilities. u/DreamyMeats

2. Seatbelt to start the car 

Cars don't start if your seatbelt isn't buckled. I then told this same lie to my children. It works a treat, lol. u/Royal_Confidence24

3. Laws are not geared towards justice 

The purpose of law-making and policing is to make society more just. I now know it's actually there to unfairly enrich people who already have too much and protect them from the consequences of their greed. u/APuticulahInduhvidul

4. Adults didn't have feelings 

Up until the time I was like 13, I genuinely thought that adults didn’t have feelings. I think it just causes anytime I was happy or sad about anything, people always told me it was just hormones and I would grow out of it. I was always so upset about getting older because I didn’t want to lose my emotions, no matter how good or bad they were. u/IcyJournalist41

5. Guys at urinals pulled their pants all the way down 

Not as a kid, but my wife’s friends in college had her believe that every guy who peed in a urinal would pull their pants down to their ankles. Had her believing this for years. u/JakeFixesPlanes

6. Hard work doesn't always mean success 

If you work hard, study in school and get good grades, you'll get a decent paying job and be able to have a somewhat stable lifestyle. u/SlackPriestess

7. Lies about the ice cream truck 

Know a lot of parents who were fooling their kids into believing that the bell ringing from the ice cream truck meant that it was sold out. u/Pale_Nobody428

8. Washing machines don't have hands 

The "hand washing" mode in the washing machine doesn't involve Mickey-Mouse-gloved robot hands. The dishwasher doesn't fill up with water, like a washing machine. u/madjic

9. Everybody has their flaws 

That adults are flawless, know everything and can be trusted. Turns out, my parents were struggling to hold it all together, which is why they often get angry and half my teachers were just as******. u/SweetPsycho2024

10. Eating watermelon led to appendicitis 

The likelihood of getting appendicitis from swallowing seeds was around 100% and most cases of appendicitis resulted in death via appendix exploding. Eating watermelon was a nerve-wracking experience back then. u/SatisfactionTime3333

11. Consequences of swallowing chewing gum 

Swallowing your chewing gum makes you fart gum bubbles or clogs up your intestines. u/JustShiiro

12. Calendar confusion 

I thought the current year started with a "19." I now realize, of course, that it starts with "20." I don't know how I could have been so foolish. u/microgiant

13. People are not always good 

People are inherently good. Yeah, no. No, they are not. If given a chance without negative repercussions or laws, they are not "good" to our society's standards. u/Peekaboosuckers

14. Everybody just uses Google 

I used to think adults knew everything. Now I realize they just Google things faster than I do. u/xhazeyprincess

15. A switch to know your purpose in life 

That at some point, it would be like a switch was thrown and I'd know what I was doing and how to be a proper person. u/spinsternonsense

16. Clouds are mashed potatoes 

Clouds are NOT mashed potatoes in the sky and those hills are the Darling Range - which is barely 10km away - NOT India. u/Gemfrye713

17. Don't think about who created God 

Too many things, but the one that stuck with me was being told that you'll run mad (become crazy) if you think about who created God. u/Sugarbear23

18. Stop, drop and roll

After all the times stop, drop and roll were emphasized, I would have expected adult me to have been engulfed in flames at least once by this point in life. u/44YrOld

19. Ships would fall off the horizon 

When I was younger, I used to think that the ship would fall off the horizon because I couldn't see it anymore. u/Sage-Pink

20. Circle in the sky 

The sun is not a circle in the sky, and that church in town is not the castle where the king/queen of town live. u/Neg247

21. Pig kidneys 

That my dad had a set of pig's kidneys to support his own poorly-functioning kidneys. Source: my mum. u/MJay617

22. Difference between America and China 

Here in America, you can be anything you want when you grow up, unlike in China, where they force you to work any job whether you like it or not. u/Benzin8

23. How clouds were made 

Those smoke towers you see on the highway from factories/oil rigs were how clouds were made. u/Comprehensive-Cut-15

24. Hard childhood means success later on in life

That going through hard times when you are young means that everything will be great when you are older. u/RabbitEfficient824

25. Bear hibernation 

That bears eat a lot, then sleep for 6 months straight during hibernation. They don't. u/Supersaiajinblue