politics

I used to believe that the loser of the Presidential election became the VICE President.

AirInSea

I was about three years old, and Roosevelt and Dewey were running for
president. All of the adults in my life were voting for Roosevelt. A
slogan of his campaign was, "Keep Roosevelt in; keep Dewey out." I had
visions of this poor man, going from door to door, maybe in the rain,
trying to get inside somewhere. I thought that if he came to our house
I would let him in. I used to say, "I'll let Dewey in." My adults
laughed and thought that was funny.

Jean

When I was 5 or 6 my mom would watch game shows all day. Then when Nixon was having his problems she must have watched a lot of the hearings. I remember thinking that our President was on a game show called Watergate?

Doug

I was very little when President Nixon's Watergate scandal happened. My father sat me in front of the television and said "Darling, this is history you need to watch. Our president has been very bad and he's going to get impeached"
I was about three so I thought that they were going to lock Nixon up in a giant peach and I got very upset. I had heard about Peter-Peter Pumkin Eater's wife and I didnt think locking people up in vegatables was nice.

Tracy

When I was very little I used to believe that when someone was running for president, the two people running were at one side of the basketball court and raced to the other side and the winner of the race became president.

Aerith

When I was a child, I somehow got it into my head that 'The Government' was the same thing as the cobbler who wore a stained white overcoat and worked in a small shed at the bottom of the railway bridge near our house. I'm not sure where the connection came, but I remember it being maddening when, as a five year old, I attempted to explain to my mother the truth of the matter -- hoping she wouldn't be duped into believing the lie that everyone else had bought into.

CBgbs

When I was a child aged 5, I used to beleive the President of the United States was Donald Dragon. It was after I asked my mother if she knew who the President was and she said, "I don't know, who do you think it is?" that I discovered it was, actually, Ronald Reagan.

Brooke Davis

Born in the USA in 1951, the Communist scare was in full swing when I was young. I was about four, I think, and the kid across the street was named 'Conrad.' I confused this with the word 'Comrade,' which was what the bad guys on TV called each other. I told my mother that the people across the street were Communists. "Oh!" she was sincerely interested, "why?" I told her that they called their son "Conrad." I'm sure my mother got a big laugh out of that one.

Allen Whipps

For some reason, I used to think that there was a big red button in the middle of the President's desk, and if he pressed it the whole world would explode. I also didn't think it was a very well-guarded button, and I always worried that he would accidentally lean on it.

Athazagoraphobia

I was about six or seven when Clinton was having the sex scandal, and one day I walked into the room and asked why mom was watching the news. She said that they were trying to decide whether they should impeach the president or not. I thought that impeach meant to throw peaches at a person, and like dump cans of peaches over their heads. I wanted him to get impeached so that I could watch the president all covered in peaches!

Brittany

My cousin told me there was a button in London which only the Queen could press and it would blow up the world. I prayed for a very long time that the queen would not get angry!!

sarathesimpson

There was a US presidential election when I was in 2nd Grade, my teacher showed the class what the president says as he is sworn in: "I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the President of the United States etc."

I used to believe for about a year following that day that the incoming President *executes* the President who's leaving. My parents laughed so hard -- apparently, they thought it was fitting for the old President to be executed!

Jackie F

When I was 5 or 6, my family would frequently have hot dogs for dinner. I loved hot dogs, but I hated the outer "skin" of the hot dogs, so I would refuse to eat them until one of my parents peeled the skin off of them.

One day, my father told me that little boys who didn't eat the skins of their hot dogs would never grow up to be the president. I'm not sure I really wanted to be the president, but I was certainly offended by the idea, so I asked him how they would ever know I didn't eat my hot dog skin.

"The White House has cameras everywhere."

"Nuh uh."

"Yes they do." (pointing) "Look, there's one."

"Where?"

"You missed it. The president looks at the videos every evening and makes a list of who can't be the president because they didn't eat their hot dog skin. But if you start eating yours before you get too old, there's a good chance he'll take you off the list."

After that, I always ate the skin of my hot dogs.

Chris Robison

I long believed that Ronald Reagan was Ronald McDonald's brother. And I thought it made him more impressive!

JB

I used to think Ronald Reagan was some kind of glorified boogie man. I'd run around the house in a bathrobe, sunglasses, and scarves tied around my lower face and head shouting, "I AM RONALD REAGAN!!!" I believed that there was a portal in my closet and that if I went into it I'd turn into Ronald Reagan; if I went into it when I was "Ronald Reagan" I'd morph back into me.

Christi

I used to hear adults using the phrase "sectarian violence" in relation to Northern Ireland and think it had something to do with garden secateurs. I also thought the "Cod War" between Britain and Iceland in the 70s was some sort of battle being fought by the fish themselves.

Gary Hird

I was about seven or eight when Jimmy Carter won the Presidency of the USA. All the media coverage leading up to the election referred to, "The run for the White House." Well the bit that confused me was - why didn't a younger fitter man win?

Steve John

I thought that Mount Rushmore was an act of God, and that was how we chose our presidents. . . who resembled the mountain.

Anon

When I was a kid I thought that communism was some kind of strawberry ice cream. I came to that conclusion because I overheard adults talking about the Reds and the cold war and the only thing I knew that was red and cold was strawberry ice cream. I couldn't understand why people were afraid of it or against it.

Anon

I used to believed that Barbra Bush was the first woman ever created because everyone called her the First Lady during the 1992 election.

Kayla