It's true. My mum had no idea that I was listening so closely and taking it all in and processing it. She didn't think little kids were smart enough for that and she has apologized many times. I know she didn't mean any harm... and of course I never told her what was going on inside my head at the time. My church preached a lot of doom & gloom stuff -- impending famine and drought, saving food, surviving the end of the world, etc. Scary stuff.