A Child's Logic

[Aeson]

Driving home in fog this morning reminded me of a thing I thought as a child.

Fog is just a cloud that hasn't woken up yet. To me as a wee youngling. I saw fog mostly in the early morning. It was gone by late morning. I thought it woke up and rose into the sky. Everything lays down to sleep, why not a cloud?

Do you have anything from your childhood that made sense at the time? Did your kid blow your mind with something they came up with?

 

[Dioltach]

Here's one my mum told me, from when she travelled to work by train.

She was sitting opposite a woman with a very small boy. After they exchanged the usual awkward smiles, my mother got out a book and her reading glasses.

Boy: "Mummy?"
Mother: "Yes dear?"
Boy: "Why did that lady put on glasses?"
Mother: "So she can read."

Silence.

Boy (excitedly): "Mummy...?"
Mother: "Yes dear?"
Boy: "If I put on glasses, will I be able to read?"

 

[aco175]

Fog is just a cloud that hasn't woken up yet. To me as a wee youngling. I saw fog mostly in the early morning. It was gone by late morning. I thought it woke up and rose into the sky. Everything lays down to sleep, why not a cloud?

Isn't this basically true? The fog-cloud does rise up to the sky, but just evaporates, so not bad thinking as a kid.

I recall my uncle telling me not to swallow gum and if I do it sticks to the heart and can eventually kill you. Not sure how long I believed that one.

 

[Aeson]

Here's one my mum told me, from when she travelled to work by train.

She was sitting opposite a woman with a very small boy. After they exchanged the usual awkward smiles, my mother got out a book and her reading glasses.

Boy: "Mummy?"
Mother: "Yes dear?"
Boy: "Why did that lady put on glasses?"
Mother: "So she can read."

Silence.

Boy (excitedly): "Mummy...?"
Mother: "Yes dear?"
Boy: "If I put on glasses, will I be able to read?"

If you take off the glasses you lose the ability to read. I can see that as a thought going through his mind.

 

[Aeson]

Isn't this basically true? The fog-cloud does rise up to the sky, but just evaporates, so not bad thinking as a kid.

I recall my uncle telling me not to swallow gum and if I do it sticks to the heart and can eventually kill you. Not sure how long I believed that one.

That's like swallowing watermelon seeds, and watermelon growing in your belly. I didn't think about that, but could you imagine a child thinking this actually happened and applying that logic when seeing someone that's pregnant or has a lot of fat in their middle?

 

[Wofano Wotanto]

If you take off the glasses you lose the ability to read. I can see that as a thought going through his mind.

I've been behind bifocals since third grade and have now completely lost vision in one eye. I couldn't read without glasses at this point if my life depended on it.

From my (hazy) point of view the kid's only mistake is overgeneralizing.

 

[Aeson]

I've been behind bifocals since third grade and have now completely lost vision in one eye. I couldn't read without glasses at this point if my life depended on it.

From my (hazy) point of view the kid's only mistake is overgeneralizing.

I saw it as an ability to comprehend the written word as if by magic. Not just the ability to see. I understand your point though.

 

[Bohandas]

I thought that if you had ever handled fireworks then your hand could suddenly explode at any time, regardless of whether or not you were currently doing anything with fireworks

And the really weird thing is that I don't think it was primarily from misinterpreting fireworks safety PSAs, I think I just thought explosiveness was contagious for some reason.

 

[aco175]

Same thing with BB-guns and poking your eye out. Until everyone in the neighborhood had one and it seems we only had one close call with a BB getting stuck under the eyelid. Maybe today we would have worn safety glasses.

 

[Clint_L]

My kid was convinced that wearing glasses made you smart because movies. He also referred to the past as black and white days, for the reason.