Fill in the blank.... "I was shocked to find out my dc never knew..."

[ThelmaLou]

"...which one was his index finger." Ahem....he's 17. He gets it confused with his pinkie. Huh???

 

A couple of years ago, when a different ds was 14, he was looking for a straw to put in his soda at Costco. I don't normally buy sodas for my kids at places like that, and we don't eat out all that much. When I pointed out the obvious (to me) straw dispenser, he looked at it kinda sideways. I reached out, pushed down the lever, and out rolled a straw. He exclaimed, "That is SO COOL!!!" in front of the entire Costco lunch crowd. Yeah...we homeschool :)

 

Please tell me I'm not the only one who's often dismayed at the things my kids don't know. Usually innocent and kinda funny...but a bit worrisome, too!

[Roadrunner]

My kids didn't know meat comes from dead animals. My DS said there are two types of chicken, the real one and the food we call chicken.

[theYoungerMrsWarde]

Mine don't know which one is the thumb. They also don't eat string cheese like regular kids. I tried to teach them the "right" way, but they wern't intersted.

[Beach Mom]

While away on vacation my DD and her cousin wrote some postcards. They went and purchased some stamps. My sister found them in the lobby gluing the stamps onto the postcards. Neither of them knew to lick the stamps, evidently they have both only ever seen peel off postage stamps. :glare:

I can't blame it on homeschool either as my niece goes to public school.

[DarlaS]

I remember my son handing me the phone and asking me what that noise was. It was a busy signal. He was 14.

[bagel270]

That the atmosphere is not solid. They thought a space ship had to break a hole in the wall around the earth to get to outer space. But they're 10 and under, so we've got time still. :rolleyes:

[PhotoGal]

Last year I found out the kids didn't know who Humpty Dumpty was. :blush:

[PhotoGal]

(double post - sorry!)

[sunnylady303]

Walking through a hotel parking lot with my 8YO DD who was recently obsessed with license plates. "Texas?!?" she says, pointing to one, "I didn't know they had cars in Texas!"

 

"Umm, sweetheart? What did you think they had?"

 

"Oh, I don't know. I just thought they all rode around on horses. So what is it like?"

 

:smilielol5:

[6packofun]

My middle ds (11 now) at age 9 came up to me and asked if wolves are real. I think I asked, "You mean werewolves?" and he said, "No, I KNOW those aren't real!" LOL

 

Then, a few weeks later he discovered that girls don't have p*nises. Not by SEEING anything, but I had to explain to him after I mentioned that girls don't like sitting down to pee and having to wipe the seat because SOME people don't clean up after themselves. It was an enlightening month for that kid. (That was an oops on my part. I explained boy parts but hadn't gotten around to girl anatomy yet! :p )

[Mimm]

My kids didn't know what breastfeeding was. It came up in a conversation and they were both confused. I explained it and I guess I joke around with my kids too much because they both rolled their eyes and said, "Yeah right. Sure, mom." I was laughing and I googled breastfeeding, clicked on images and showed them an entire page of breastfeeding infants (I'm lucky nothing weird or creepy came up.) My older daughter's reaction? "That... is disgusting." Great... :p

[Mimm]

Walking through a hotel parking lot with my 8YO DD who was recently obsessed with license plates. "Texas?!?" she says, pointing to one, "I didn't know they had cars in Texas!"

 

"Umm, sweetheart? What did you think they had?"

 

"Oh, I don't know. I just thought they all rode around on horses. So what is it like?"

 

:smilielol5:

 

That's funny. I had to explain to my daughter when she was five that she could not grow up to be an Indian some day and that Native Americans drive in cars, live in houses, watch TV and do not usually hunt buffalo with bows and arrows these days. :p She was very disappointed.

[Photo Ninja]

My high school ds was taking a class at the community college, and it was convenient to have him ride the city bus after class to get closer to home, where I would pick him up. I explained how to read the bus routes and time table and he decided which bus to ride. All was well. Until later when he informed me that while I had explained how to pick the right bus, I neglected to explain how to get OFF the bus. He realized this would be an issue when the bus driver skipped stops because no one was waiting to get on there. Fortunately, he figured it out when another rider pulled the cord and the bus stopped.

 

I made sure to explain that handy bit of info to my other dc.

[happyhomemaker]

I said something about the Alps the other day. Dd said, "What's an alp?"

[TGHEALTHYMOM]

Won't say which one.... "What Does it mean to diagram a sentence?"

As the forum was going to be back....

 

DS still wants to call the Buffet: BU FET like it looks: phonics worked!

[fischerl]

Until recently, they didn't know who Beaver Cleaver was. Wha...?

[idnib]

Well it wasn't really shocking because they are so young, but when the space shuttle was retired my son said it wasn't a problem to get to the International Space Station because we were just going to ride with the Russians, no problem. He was completely missing any knowledge about the space race, despite having watched numerous documentaries about NASA and Apollo. We'll get there in next year's history....

[skeeterbug]

DS still wants to call the Buffet: BU FET like it looks: phonics worked!

 

That is how they pronounce it in Australia. And filet is 'fill-it'. I tried to order a filet sandwich and the teen behind the counter didn't understand me when I said 'fill-ay'. I asked a friend and she told me that's the French way of saying it!

[AmyontheFarm]

My college and high schooler, didn't know how to look up a phone number in the phone book. They were both public schooled, so I don't feel so bad! I asked them what they would do if they didn't have internet to "google" it. They both commented that they would ask a friend to use their internet.

 

If we lost power for more than 2 days, they would both be dead without my help... ...and they think they are adults!

[happyhomemaker]

My college and high schooler, didn't know how to look up a phone number in the phone book. They were both public schooled, so I don't feel so bad! I asked them what they would do if they didn't have internet to "google" it. They both commented that they would ask a friend to use their internet.

 

This reminds me of a conversation with ds. Ds came in the house saying something had been left on our porch. He asked me what it was. I told him it was a phone book and that years ago people used them to look up phone numbers. :)

[Annie G]

This fall I was shocked to learn that my two youngest kids didn't have any idea how to work a combination lock. Each of them needed to use one within a week or two of each other and neither had a clue.

However, ds had the best method for working through it. He stood by the locker looking helpless until a pretty girl walked by and offered to help him.

How could they get to ages 18 and 20 and not know this?!? And who knew they'd need this info in college.

[whiskeywife]

A few years ago my oldest DS (not homeschooled) came out with our house phone looking confused. I asked what the problem was and he said he couldn't figure out how to text from it. After laughing hysterically, I asked why he thought he could text from it. He said that was what the letters above the numbers were for.

[whiskeywife]

double post, sorry

[Mommy22alyns]

Sylvia asked me the other day which finger was her middle one, but she's only 7.5.

 

Rebecca was confused by a picture of a print encyclopedia set. "I've never seen an encyclopedia before!" Sigh.

[Susan in TN]

That the Tooth Fairy doesn't really exist. I mean, they know Santa isn't real. I just didn't realize they needed it to be explained to them.

[Mom23Boys]

My oldest thought fingers were "thingers" in first and second grade. I think he still thinks he is right and we are wrong...

 

My 8 year old thought the Border Patrol were outside of our neighborhood looking for "people who came over the border without following the rules, you know, like people from Mississippi." (We live in Louisiana) Basic concept down, but wrong borders.

 

My 5 year old asked last week after offering at church if the people who take up the money were going put it in a rocket ship and shoot it off to God, since we were giving our money to God.

[twoxcell]

My dc didn't know what a Twinkie was. We were watching a Tim Hawkins show on Tv and my oldest ds says, "What is a Twinkie anyways?" I guess they wiill never get the chance to try one now. :tongue_smilie:

[QueenieReighn]

That the Tooth Fairy doesn't really exist. I mean, they know Santa isn't real. I just didn't realize they needed it to be explained to them.

 

I had this same problem this weekend. After years of my girls knowing Santa, Easter Bunny, ect. were fake, I was shocked to learn that they still thought the Tooth Fairy was real. I tried talking to them about it, but they seem to be very set in it. At the end of the talk, they decided that even if fairies weren't real, the Tooth Fairy was and that she was just a very small person. I gave up. lol

[moonlight]

my older ds didn't know that the days of the month ended by 31 and he even knew the days of the month poem!!

[Roadrunner]

I couldn't explain my son what live television is. Tears were rolling because he couldn't skip through commercials.

Also he thought (he is 6) Nemo at Disneyland was real.

My 7 year old didn't know blood and fights in the movies are fake.

[sewingmama]

 

Then, a few weeks later he discovered that girls don't have p*nises. Not by SEEING anything, but I had to explain to him after I mentioned that girls don't like sitting down to pee and having to wipe the seat because SOME people don't clean up after themselves. It was an enlightening month for that kid. (That was an oops on my part. I explained boy parts but hadn't gotten around to girl anatomy yet! :p )

 

 

Last week we went on vacation and stayed with my brother and my neice who is 5. Apparently because she only has sisters she has never seen a boy naked before. When my boys stripped naked to take a bath I nearly died laughing at the look on her face. Then she grabbed a cloth and went into the bathroom and told me she had to clean the back of the bathroom door - all the the while sneaking looks at the boys who were in the bath :laugh: When her curiosity was satisified enough she anounced she was done cleaning and left :smilielol5:

 

 

I had this same problem this weekend. After years of my girls knowing Santa, Easter Bunny, ect. were fake, I was shocked to learn that they still thought the Tooth Fairy was real. I tried talking to them about it, but they seem to be very set in it. At the end of the talk, they decided that even if fairies weren't real, the Tooth Fairy was and that she was just a very small person. I gave up. lol

 

 

My DD asked if fairies were real and I told her no - they were just myths and stories. I thought she might make the connection with the Tooth fairy but apparently not - because "she is a human fairy" :laugh:

[swellmomma]

when ds14 was 12 he honestly thought the wonder pets were extremely well trained real animals. (youngest 2 like to watch it so he would see it when they watched it). Not only did he believe it...he argued with me when I tried to correct him.

 

I am sure there is many many things they don't know that will have me thinking "really??" but other than that one I can't think of one off the top of my head.

[athena1277]

I learned today that my 4th grader did not know that Thanksgiving is always on a Thursday. We were talking about my mom coming to visit today (Monday) and she asked, "Is Thanksgiving tomorrow?". Guess we need that 1st Thanksgiving unit study after all.

[Lolly]

Yesterday, my 20 yo dd learned what a package store was. She thought they sold packing materials and was heading there to get some stuff to mail packages.

[Guest barefootbabies]

Yesterday, my 20 yo dd learned what a package store was. She thought they sold packing materials and was heading there to get some stuff to mail packages.

 

At the risk of losing my homeschooling card, what IS a package store?? I must admit I would be expecting a shipping supply retailer as well!

[regentrude]

Yesterday, my 20 yo dd learned what a package store was. She thought they sold packing materials and was heading there to get some stuff to mail packages.

 

 

so what IS it? Never heard the term - I'd expect packing supplies, something like the UPS store.

[Mommy22alyns]

I couldn't explain my son what live television is. Tears were rolling because he couldn't skip through commercials.

 

 

My girls know this only because Grandma doesn't have a DVR. Anytime they're up there, it's like, "Fast forward! Can you pause that?" Er, no...

[Lolly]

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: It is a liquor store. You carry your purchases out as a brown bag package! :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

 

Maybe she isn't a clueless as it seemed. She is in good company!

[regentrude]

Never heard the term. Here, a liquor store is a liquor store. Is that a local thing?

[Lolly]

Never heard the term. Here, a liquor store is a liquor store. Is that a local thing?

 

I don't think so. May be a Southern thing, but it is that way in all the states I've ever purchased liquor in. :laugh:

[medawyn]

Package store is definitely a regional thing... hadn't heard the term until I went to college. It took a few weekends of people asking if anyone wanted something from the package store to twig on.

 

It seems to be most common in the South and the Northeast.

[Kathryn]

My mom is from New England and had never heard of package stores until she moved down South. She couldn't figure out where all the liquor stores were.

[kalanamak]

Okay, not a son, but an exhusband. He'd never lived with a pet. The night we got a grown cat he shoved me in bed and exclaimed it was sick and dying. It had jumped on the bed and woken him and it was PURRING. He'd never heard a purr. Age 25, never a purr.

[airforcefamily]

The two older kids, both under 10, are soooooooo confused by the concepts of both rotary phones and pay phones. They don't get why you have to keep turning the plastic thing around and why you can't just push on the number. I'm still looking for a reasonably priced rotary phone to keep around. They also don't get why there were/are pay phones. They want to know why people can't just use their cell phones or ask someone else to use one if they have forgotten to bring their own.

 

I grew up in the northeast and never knew what a package store was. I remember asking someone who mentioned it 'packages of what?'. I had also never been to a liquor store where children were not allowed in (when with their parents). I went to buy stuff for a party and had to stand outside the door with the baby while pointing out what I wanted to be able to make the purchase.

 

I also had never heard of a tag office until moving to a different state. Where I grew up the place you went to get a driver's license and license plates was called the dmv (department of motor vehicles). Someone was explaining where a place was located and kept saying it was near the tag office. I didn't feel too smart when I asked what it was. I didn't know that in some places tags are the little stickers those states require to be on license plates.

 

I was terrified the first time I heard a cat purr. I was an adult and thought it was growling at me.

[Pixjen]

In the part of NTX where we live the liquor stores are called "beverage centers" or stores.

 

It was only a few months ago that discovered my 22yr old has been misunderstanding a phrase I've used all her life. I would say we needed to clean something "to a fair thee well," and she thought I was saying "fairly well." So she never understood why she kept getting in trouble for hardly doing any cleaning since she thought I was telling her she didn't need to do very much. *lol*

[Kalmia]

I don't remember any package stores in Maine, but we do have redemption centers! No, not churches as some of you might imagine, but where the empties from the package store end up if one wants to collect their deposit. Definitely another thing to confuse the youngsters.

[acablue]

I had never heard of a package store before I read this thread.

 

My kids didn't know what hacky sack was until this week. My oldest also answered the question "Are you right-handed or left-handed?" with "In hockey or baseball?" when he fractured his hand and the nurse was joking around about him getting out of school work.

[Kathryn]

The two older kids, both under 10, are soooooooo confused by the concepts of both rotary phones and pay phones. They don't get why you have to keep turning the plastic thing around and why you can't just push on the number. I'm still looking for a reasonably priced rotary phone to keep around. They also don't get why there were/are pay phones. They want to know why people can't just use their cell phones or ask someone else to use one if they have forgotten to bring their own.

 

 

That reminds me, last year when we were at Portland Head Light, DS was having fun posing in front of a pay phone and pretending to use it. He'd never seen one before. When he was done, I told him to hang it up. He had NO CLUE what to do. I was laughing so hard, I couldn't explain it through my gasping for breath. I finally composed myself and said "you *actually* literally hang it up."

[DarlaS]

Yesterday, my 20 yo dd learned what a package store was. She thought they sold packing materials and was heading there to get some stuff to mail packages.

 

My sister, who lives in GA, educated me on this topic this summer. We were coming back from a long day at the hospital and she wanted to find one. It took me a minute to figure out what she was talking about.Had to ask her what she wanted to buy there, then it all made sense. Oh! A liquor store! I knew where some of those were. :tongue_smilie:

[DarlaS]

Package store is definitely a regional thing... hadn't heard the term until I went to college. It took a few weekends of people asking if anyone wanted something from the package store to twig on.

 

It seems to be most common in the South and the Northeast.

 

 

Us northern and midwestern folks are so unimaginative. :rolleyes: