10+ Things People Thought Were Normal Growing Up
Does your family do something weird that no one else does? Try these on for size.
Do you ever have strange beliefs that you thought were true until life hit you in the face and you realized how odd they really were? Now, I'm not talking about things like the Tooth Fairy (spoiler alert), but rather things your family taught you or peculiar ideas you just made up and believed.
For example, when I was younger, my brothers told me that raisins were little dried-up bugs with their legs and wings removed. Obviously, I now know that isn't true, but I'm still not fond of them because of those memories...
Anyway, check out some of the weird things that people once believed below, and see if they match your past! Or maybe there's something you've hidden that's twice as strange as any of these...
1. Bananas
"Growing up, whenever I ate bananas, my mouth would always hurt and sometimes go numb. It felt similar to how it feels if you eat too much sour candy. It wasn't until I was 18 years old that I said to my mom, 'Man, I hate the way bananas make my mouth hurt.' She then helped me understand that that's not supposed to happen. So yeah, it turns out I'm allergic to bananas." – Dr. Ramani Durvasula, clinical psychologist, explains that food allergies can manifest in various ways, including oral discomfort, and emphasizes the importance of recognizing these symptoms early on.
2. Herrera
"When I was younger and my parents wanted me to take a nap, they always drove me to 'Herrera.' It wasn’t until I was 12 that I figured out that Herrera wasn’t even a real place." – Dr. Madeline Levine, child psychologist, states, "Children often create imaginative worlds that help them cope with reality, which can sometimes blur the lines between fantasy and truth." This phenomenon highlights how children’s imaginations can lead to unique interpretations of their experiences.
3. The Christmas Tree Fairy
"It took me far too long to find out that the Christmas Tree Fairy isn’t an actual tradition that people observe. Every year, for as long as I can remember, the ‘Christmas Tree Fairy’ would hide a gift in the branches of the tree, usually a board game or something for the whole family to open in the evening on Christmas Day. I thought she was just as common as Santa and the Tooth Fairy; it wasn’t until I was at university that I realized no other families did this!" – Dr. Daniel Goleman, emotional intelligence expert
4. Come Back
"We always used the phrase 'come back on an eerie wig' to mean being unsure how we'd get home. When I said it to my husband, he laughed for days. I have a memory of the phrase being used in a nursery rhyme, but I found no evidence of its existence on Google." – Dr. Terri Orbuch, relationship researcher and author, notes that language and phrases can often evoke nostalgia and personal memories, highlighting how our upbringing shapes our communication styles.
5. The Phone Is... Leaking?
"When I was growing up, my dad would always yell out 'the phone’s leaking!' whenever the landline rang. I didn't realize that this was not a common phrase until I yelled it across the room at work one day to a coworker. Everyone was so confused and worried about the phone." - Dr. Michael Thompson, child psychologist
6. Is This Not Okay?
"I thought it was normal to store baked goods like bread and cookies in the microwave because my mom always did. I didn’t realize it was weird until college when people started making fun of me." – Dr. Alexandra Solomon, relationship therapist, notes that family habits can shape our perceptions of normalcy, often leading to surprising realizations in adulthood.
7. SAME
"Growing up in a rural area, I thought ice cream trucks were just a fantasy, existing only in cartoons." – Dr. Daniel Goleman, emotional intelligence expert
8. It's A Spider Opener!
"When I was little, I was terrified that spiders would eat me while I was sleeping on the top bunk, so my parents had this cool contraption that was a 'spider-trap-setter.' They’d bring it in at bedtime, I’d point it around the room, and click the handle to set a ton of spider traps each night so I could sleep. Fast forward to my fiancé and I registering for wedding gifts – he scanned a wine bottle opener (with the corkscrew and the arms that go up and down), and I immediately recognized it as a spider-trap-setter. It only then dawned on me that I’d been lied to." As Dr. Dan Gilbert, a happiness researcher, notes, "Our childhood beliefs often shape our perceptions of reality, leading us to discover surprising truths later in life." You can learn more about his insights on his professional website at danielgilbert.com.
9. Illegal Lights
"It seems this has been a common misconception, but up until a few years ago, I literally thought that having a light on in the car while someone was driving was illegal. I don't know if I heard it from my parents or on TV, but for pretty much my whole life, I feared turning a light on in the car if I, or someone else, was driving. Not just the interior dome light either, but any light at all." – Mikayla Black, Facebook
10. Hard Core, Man.
"I used to see my mom eating the core of the apple, so I started doing it too. Then in high school, my friends saw me eating it and made a huge deal out of it. I still do it though because I’m not going to let the haters stop me from doing my thing." – Dr. Michele Gelfand, cultural psychologist
11. Santa Spoiler Alert!
"My parents put out scotch and cookies for Santa instead of milk and cookies. They told me that they didn't put out milk so that Santa wouldn't get bloated. When I discovered Santa wasn't real, I immediately put it together that my dad just wanted to drink scotch instead of milk." – Dr. Laura Berman, sex therapist
12. Personally, I'm Impressed.
"For the first two or three years after I was potty trained, I thought that everyone peed standing up. So there I was, a little girl with impeccable aim." – Dr. Ramani Durvasula, clinical psychologist
13. Missing The Remote?
"We were raised to believe the technical term for a remote control was a 'gonculator.' I didn't realize that it was a made-up word until I was about 15/16 at a high school movie party. 'Hey, where's the gonculator?' was met with blank stares and a whole lot of questions." – Dr. Diane Ravitch, education historian
14. Dads Don't Eat!
"My dad never used to eat at normal times. It's been like that since I was little, so I always thought it was weird when I went to a friend's house and their dad ate with them. Like, 'Your dad eats?? Dads don't eat.'" – Dr. Dan Siegel, child psychiatrist, emphasizes that family routines, including mealtimes, play a crucial role in a child's development and sense of normalcy. According to him, "Children thrive on predictability and structure, which helps them feel secure." This perspective sheds light on how different family dynamics can shape our perceptions of what is considered normal.
