Children tend to believe just about anything they hear.
That there are monsters under your bed, watching too much TV will make your head explode, and silly faces will be permanent if you make them too often.
The sky is truly the limit when it comes to silly things that children will believe.
Some call it naivitée, other's youthful innocence.
But it's hard not to look back with embarrassment on certain things we believed as a child, that today might simply seem dumb.
Redditor Disastrous_Toe_6548 was curious to learn the multitude of silly things people believed when they were children, leading them to ask:
"What's the dumbest thing you believed as a kid?"
Pleading to deaf ears...
"My dad told me he had hearing loss and couldn't hear me if I whined because my pitch would get too high."
"Would completely ignore me until I asked him questions in a normal voice."
"Trusted him implicitly until I was 12 and he yelled at my younger brother for whining."- Tyrion_Stark.
Get it while you can.
"That they took everything off the shelves when the supermarket closed."- fgyfddg.
Silly superstitions.
"My grandfather used to tell me that if I played with the fire, I'd pee the bed."
"I believed him for a while, until I got older."
"I think he was just trying to protect me from the fire."- teddypa1981.
"Rain, rain go away..."
"That if it was raining where I was, it was raining everywhere in the world."- morningshartz.
Age is just a number.
"My parents used to seem really old to me, so much so I believed they grew up like cave people as children, wearing giant leaves for clothes and what not."- Laleena_.
So that's how they're made!
"That smokestacks from the power plant created clouds."- Scaniarix.
An instant cure.
"The sun gives you sunburns, therefore, moonlight should heal them."- velocipeter.
Better safe than sorry.
"Don't drink and drive meant all drinks."
"My dad was super confused when I told him he wasn't allowed to have any soda until we got home."- hulagirlslovetoparty.
Don't believe everything you see on TV.
"There was an episode of Mickey Mouse where Mickey couldn’t reach something at first, so he tried again and somehow his arm was long enough to reach it."
"As a small kid I believed that if I couldn’t reach something, I should just try reaching for it again and my arm would then somehow be long enough to reach it."- That-Dutch-Person.
The miracle of childbirth.
"That babies are pooped out."
"When I was like 7 I was listening to my aunt as she explained that childbirth was pretty intense and painful for her, and I was all solemnly like, 'yeah, sometimes just my poops are painful, I don’t think I could get a baby out' and she went 'um, WHAT?' and her reaction made me realize real quick that I had f*cked up somewhere and I tried to change the subject while my mind was just reeling lol."- thesoundingfurrows.
Oh to be a child again.
And to believe literally everything you're told.
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Redditor Called Out For Planning To Move Out After Learning Their Roommate Is Pregnant
In relationships, there are two camps to which couples respectively belong: those who wish to have kids and those who do not.
While there are many couples who wish to expand their family unit, there are just as many that would rather not provide for another human for more reasons than you think.
Curious to hear from strangers online, Redditor AGstudios22 asked:
"What makes you not want to have kids?"
These are why having kids is not for them.
Too Much Work
"I can barely take care of myself."
– Altruistic_Peak7690
A Past Trauma
"My ex who said 'now you can't leave me.'"
– Between_the_narrows
Creepy Factor
"Those kids who have parents that are perfectly normal but still somehow act like mini serial killers."
– mikmikthegreat
When it comes to making a decision about having kids, these folks are not on the fence.
Not For Them
"I would be a terrible parent."
– IAmABurdenOnSociety
"I would be a terrible parent but a great uncle :)"
– Any-Energy-6126
Full-Time Job
"The idea of being responsible for a human being isn't for me."
– Goobula
It's All-In Or Nothing
"The fact that nothing really makes me WANT to have them. I feel like you should have an overwhelming desire to become a parent - I don’t, so why would I have a kid?"
– pupsnpogonas
For some, it's a matter of budgeting concerns.
Lack Of Profit
"After rent, food, and insurance I only come away with 200$ a month profit. Which is usually eaten up by a single doctor visit or necessary car part. And I live with two roommates."
– Snowfreak2507
You Can't Go Back
"It's irreversible, you can't unhave kids when you've committed to it, so when you have all those doubts and fears you might not be a good parent, it's hard to take the plunge."
"Plus I'd have to find someone to have a kid with and make more money for it to be viable but I think they're secondary to actually wanting to go through with it."
– Latifi_WDC_2023
People talk from experience and realize kids will never be in their future.
All That Screaming
"My neighbor has 7 of them. The only form of communication in that house is screaming. The teenage boy just screamed in the middle of my typing this. Kid is absolute shite at whatever game he's trying to play. My work meetings are constantly interrupted by his whiny cursing/crying sessions."
– QuackWaddleflow
The Older Brother As An Example
"I've been dealing with a mentally disabled older brother for nearly all my life. He's 32 yrs old, but acts like a 7 yr old nearly ALL the time. I love him to death, but after so long of dealing with him growing up (I'm 22), I just do not have the patience to handle something like that again."
"Edit: Wow, didn't expect this to blow up. Thanks for the kind and understanding comments everyone! To everyone else struggling with something similar, know that you're not alone. It may feel exhausting at days, and sometimes you might wish you weren't even in such a postion. But cherish those moments you share with them where they're the happiest you've ever seen them. Because at the end of the day, you're all they have left. I fear for my brother's future every day, and hope that he grows up well without the need for us to care for him 24/7."
– MajesticxFlan
Forever Young
"This is my big one. I feel terrible for this, but the fear of having a child that isn’t going to grow into a fully independent person with no limitations stopped me dead. If there was a guarantee they would be of average mental capability, I might reconsider."
– VanessaClarkLove
It's a big responsibility. Those who have several offspring to take care of surely have days when they have regrets and are envious of friends who've opted not to have kids.
But overall, the eventual gratitude grown children express to their parents can be a huge reward. So they say.
Is that prospect worth it in the end?
Your answer will indicate where you stand.
Let us know in the comment section!
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