1) Monsters

Not even gonna lie, this one is number one because it is number one on my list. Kids believe monsters live under their beds, in various spaces in the dark and in closets. This may just be out of a fear of the dark and what could be lurking in unknown spaces.

However, I know that as an adult I am not the only person who must tuck my feet under my covers so that nothing get my feet. Many in their adult age still fear dark places, not necessarily because of monsters the way children think of them, but because they fear creatures, like spiders, or just anything evil or frightening that could be lurking in the shadows.

2) Movies and Fairytales

Believe it or not, many of our adult beliefs and expectations for our lives are based on things we see in movies. I figured out the hard way that my ideas about relationships were based on fairytales and movies. In a way, the plots and fates of our favorite characters create these fantastical expectations of how our love life will go, how we will make it to our biggest dream, and how we will magically fix our family lives.

As always, life has a way of letting us know where the movies meet reality. Yet still, many grownups really do wait around for their “happy endings” or for “prince charming” to come and sweep them off their feet.

3) Santa

When Christmas arrives, most kids lose their marbles over Santa Claus. Good ‘ole Saint Nick—what’s not to love about the round, silver-bearded man in a red suit who shoots down the chimney bearing presents for every child? Many adults, especially those who relay these tales to their children, do themselves believe in Santa Claus—some out of tradition and some out of repetition of this legend. Seeing the sparkle in their children’s eyes and watching this belief take root in their children, many adults begin to believe in Santa again and the magic of Christmas.

4) People

Kids are very trusting, as we all once were. They believe in the people who raise them, their siblings, their peers, and they see goodness in everyone, even strangers. Obviously, this can be both a positive and a negative for children because there are good people but there are also dangerous people. Yet, I think all adults have also had an experience that shows us how trusting we still are of people we are unfamiliar with.

5) Dreams

Children are great big dreamers because their imagination is fresh and wild and they are constantly told that they can be “whatever they want to be” in life, whether it be Superman, a dragon, a butterfly or a firefighter. Many adults still hold dear to this with their life goals. Fortunately enough, some actually become the movie star, celebrity, singer, or great novelist that they dreamed they would be.

6) Wishes

Birthdays as a kid are not complete until you make your wish and blow out the candles on your cake. Many adults still wish on shooting stars and birthday candles or make the occasional dandelion wish. Though we cannot prove the effectiveness of these actions, we are still filled with childlike hope that when the candles go out, our wish is sent away to fulfill its mission.

7) The Impossible

As a child, everyone believes at some point that they can fly. After that first crash landing from your living room couch, however, many are brought back into the realm of reality. Yet still, somewhere inside each of us remains this child that is always longing for the impossible. Somewhere deep down, I know I still believe that if I were to hold on to enough balloons, I would float upwards, just like in the movie “Up.” Though we know certain things are impossible, many adults still entertain these beliefs.