Blogs home Staff blogs Schoolhouse talk

What did you “used to believe?”

I happen to have a television right above my desk and I try to keep it on some sort of cable news network. I glanced up during a lull in my day and saw the anchor talking about I Used To Believe, a Web site dedicated to adults sharing their most ridiculous childhood beliefs. It's pretty quality.

Here are some of my favorites: "I used to think the local newscasters could see me, so my mom would put on the news when she had to do house work because I behaved myself, in fear the newspeople would tell on me." (By the way, that is TOTALLY true. I will tell on you. Granted, I anchor at 10 p.m. on Sundays, so I'm guessing there aren't many badly behaved kids still up to tattle on.)

"I found my mother's 'Alien' card when I was 5 years old. I actually believed my mom was an alien, until I finally asked her and she explained that she was an immigrant."

Then there's a list of some common ones:

• If you swallow a seed, a plant will grow in your stomach.

• Chocolate milk comes from brown cows.

• Thunder is God bowling (totally guilty of believing that one).

One big belief I had when I was little was that everyone bought their children when they were babies and picked them up in a special store. My younger brother and I were adopted. I was 5 when we went and got him, and I asked if we had a receipt and could return him. Turns out it doesn't work like that.

What are some of your childhood beliefs? Anything you tell your children to believe that isn't exactly true?

June 3, 2009

Schoolhouse talk