35+ Things Basically Everyone Did or Believed During Their Childhood But Never, Ever Talks About

We'd like to think that our childhood was unique. If you ask around, though, the things you experienced — as niche as they may seem in some cases — were actually experienced by millions of children around the world. Don't believe us? Check out these shared experiences that nearly everyone recalls from their childhood.

If you ever had to turn out the lights in the basement as a small child, you remember the rush of fear and maybe even exhilaration as you fled from the darkness at top speed. After all, if you stay in the dark for too long, the basement monsters will get you. Fear of the dark and the unknown is pretty universal at a young age. It's just funny that almost every kid has memories of doing this kind of thing.

As a kid, many of us didn't like having to talk to people on the phone. It's just awkward! Unfortunately, our parents often forced us to call up relatives or family friends when they gave us presents, so at least once a year, this kind of thing was inevitable. Oh, well — at least it prepared us a little bit for all of the uncomfortable phone calls in adult life, right? Actually, maybe it just led to more anxiety on that front.

Some of us hated getting glue on our hands as a child, but others fondly remember peeling off entire layers of the stuff after it dried. Apparently, there's something pretty cathartic in doing that, though we're not sure what it is. We suppose that — thanks to all the arts and crafts in primary school — everyone was bound to mess around with glue in their childhood. It was just par for the course.

Imitating the adults and deriving some enjoyment from it was something that many of us did in our childhood. Even if it was something as silly as sipping juice from a vino glass, there's nothing we loved more than pretending to be grown-ups. They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so we are curious to know what this says about children. Maybe they admire adults more than we realize?