Things We Thought Were Illegal as Children (But Weren’t)

As children, we lived under a very specific legal system.

It wasn’t written down anywhere, but we all knew the rules. Or at least… we thought we did.

Looking back, it’s incredible how many completely normal things we believed were deeply illegal.

• Turning the car light on at night 🚗💡 – Instant arrest. Straight to prison.
• Not returning a library book on time 📚 – The police would be informed. Obviously.
• Swallowing chewing gum – It would stay inside you for seven years. No appeal.
• Walking on the wrong side of the pavement – Socially and legally unacceptable.
• Going into a shop without buying anything – You were stealing vibes.
• Pressing buttons in lifts you didn’t need – Criminal intent.
• Crossing the road not at a crossing – Honestly, why are you even free?
• Using the “wrong” door – Emergency exits only. The alarm would go off.

No one ever actually explained these rules. We just absorbed them. Quietly. Anxiously. Confidently.

And yet, somehow, we all survived childhood without ever being arrested for interior car lighting offences.

Honestly, I think these fears came from the same place as soggy cereal and Saturday mornings — a world where adults seemed to know things we didn’t, and we were doing our best not to mess it up.

Daisy says: if turning the car light on was illegal, none of us would be free today. 💅🚔