I Used to Believe

Think you were the only kid who thought there was a whole ’nother world living on the other side of the mirror? Don’t be embarrassed; share your story on Iusedtobelieve.com. On this “childhood beliefs site,” you can submit your own embarrassing recollection of reality and assign star ratings to those of others. The site is conveniently organized by topic (animals, body parts, sex, death … ), and each month it ranks the best 20 beliefs, and also keeps a tally of the most common beliefs. For example, you’re not the only one who thought if you swallowed a seed, a plant would grow inside you, or that all songs are performed live at radio stations. I used to believe that no two people on Earth had the same name, and so my Uncle Oroville was Oroville Wright, and that God turned our black-and-white TV to color just for me if no one else was in the room; and that the illustrator of the Little House on the Prairie books had followed the Ingalls family around the country in a separate wagon, sketching them in anticipation of their eventual fame.