What were some misconceptions you had about the world when you were a child?

[TJ in Oregon]

I believed people did whatever job they had because that was their lifelong aspiration and that the money was just a nice gesture on the side. I didn't understand people work primarily to get paid.

[TJ in Oregon]

The only thing that pops into my mind, is stuff involving Santa Claus. I was disappointed when my older brother filled me in on that one, at about age 5.

When I was 5, some kid on the bus told me Santa Clause wasn't real and it was my parents. I went home and told my mom that and she replied, "Do you really think we would spend all that money on you?".

That convinced me Santa had to be real for a few more years.

[TJ in Oregon]

I used to wonder why my parents would use checks for small purchases because I thought they had a limited number of checks rather than a limited amount of money to write them for.