I thought there were probably monsters under my bed and, if not there, in my closet or in the bathroom shower.

I thought that if two people kissed, it meant they were married. That seemed obvious to me from "You may kiss the bride" at weddings. Consequently I didn't think I'd ever get married because I was too shy to be kissed in public.

I thought Santa Claus was scary. Had to go get my parents or big sister up to go with me into the living room on Christmas morning in case he might still be there, and I refused to sit in his lap for pictures in photography studios. Seriously, what self-respecting kid wants to get close to a big, fat, hairy, red-faced, white-bearded stranger and smile for a picture?

I thought a jet engine in an airplane was the same thing as a rocket engine, so when our family traveled by plane, I was always sure we'd shoot straight up in the air like NASA spacecraft did and braced myself hard against the back of the seat.

I thought nuclear war was an imminent danger. There was so much talk about the nuclear arms race and the Cold War when I was a little kid in the mid and late 60s.