belly buttons

as a kindergarden child, I was intent on keeping my ears and my bellybutton very clean because I was dirty chldren grow parsley out of their ears and navels.

BJ

When I was little and learned about how babies were made, I also learned what exactly a belly
button was. Well, the fact that it was just a knot scared me, because I thought it would unravel if I messed with it too much, and all of my insides would come pouring out. Since then I've always hated my belly
button being touched, even though I eventually learned that it can't happen.

Talulah

I was told that your belly button is where you put salt when you eat apples in bed.

Shurnuff

When I was young (perhaps four or five) I had heard a reference to "belly button lint." For some unbeknownst reason, this phenomenon terrified me more than I can possibly say. I was horrified of the thought of having lint in my belly button, and became convinced that if I NEVER let my belly button be uncovered, the lint would have no way of sneaking in. All of my night-shirts were streched out on the bottoms because I would draw my knees up to my chest and pin the bottom of the shirts to the floor with my hands. I even attempted to tape over my belly button when bathing, but after several unsuccessful tries, I concluded that the flowing water would scare away any renegade lint. I'm not entirely sure when I grew out of this practice, but to this day just the thought of belly button lint makes me shiver. Ick!

Rickie Beth

Yes, I was under the impression that it would be possible to undo your belly button and see your insides. After much experimentation with trying to look inside my own belly button, I gave up.

A Wild Cowgirl

When I was small and in the bath my mum used to clean out my belly button ' To get rid of the potato seeds'. I hoestly believed this (potato seeds in the BB) until halfway through A level biology.

Dave

When I was five to six years old, i used to believe that my belly button had a knot tied in it by the doctors when
I was born and that if I were to accidentally untie the knot, my internal organs would spill out.

chubby

I asked my father when I was four or five what my belly button was. He told me very matter of factly that I had been shot there! And that everyone eventually gets shot in the stomach so we all have belly buttons. I went around for years so terrified that someone out there was going to shoot me again not knowing I already had a navel...When I was in my thirties I was living with my boyfriend. He had the habit of petting our cat while on his belly. Apparantly, some fur found it's way into his belly button. He came to me all worried that he was growing black straight hair out of his belly button. I tried to assure him that given that he's a blond and people don't grow hair from inside the navel that it was very likely cat fur. He said it was stuck and proved that it was growing from him. I offered to pull it out and he looked at me in horror, "You can't do that! I'll unravel." Did I mention the idiot was in his thirties?

bobbie

I used to believe that my bellybutton was like a little seal and if I prodded it too much, I would break through to my stomach. Even now, I'm still really nervous about touching my bellybutton even though I'm an adult!

Andie

My older brother used to tell me that if I "untied" it, I'd fly around the room like a balloon.

Gullible youth

I used to believe that if you pushed your belly button you would feel your insides and the food you ate would be pushed out of your mouth.

jwsjk

For years I believed that babies came out of an oven in a factory and that God pressed their tummies, like you would a cake, and pronounced "you're done" - and I had proof of this because my navel was obviously where God had prodded me! I also believed that dark skinned ladies used cocoa powder as face powder and that hill sheep were a special breed with two legs shorter than the others so that they could stand upright. Thanks, Dad!!!

Amanda

I used to believe that if you had an operation, it had to start at the belly button. So if you had to have brain surgery...boy howdy!

Rosie

When I was about 5, I used to believe that when a woman got pregnant, all she needed to do was press her belly button, and a baby would pop out.

Rosie Young

i used to think that if i stuck my finger far enough in to my belly button, it would open up into my stomach. i wanted to test this, but was too afraid of my food falling out.

Anon

I learned to read at a very early age, which was kind of unfortunate. Anyway, at the time, I was really interested on how babies develop. I was reading a book about it and it said that the mother's stomach grows so large, her navel pops out. I thought by "pops out" it meant "pops off her stomach and falls onto the floor." I figured it was so the mother could give it to the baby when its umbilical cord falls off. My mom was pregnant with my younger sister at the time, so I constantly followed her around to listen for a popping noise so I could pick up any belly buttons that might have fallen on the floor!

Jenny

My father told me that the reason that we had belly buttons was so that we could put salt in them for eating celery in bed. I believed him until I was about nine years old.

Anon

When I was little, I used to believe that you could unbutton your bellybutton, and that if that happened, all of your skin would fall off. I fiercely protected my bellybutton from the approach of strangers.

Olivia

I was informed by my mother when i was young that if I scrubbed my belly button too hard in the bath, it would 'untie''. Until about the age of 12 I was wary of this situation.

Dan

When I was a kid I used to believe that if I stuck my finger too far in my belly button ,like really far in, it would unravel and all my insides would come out..I'm living proof it never happened.

Anon