irrational fears: childhood edition

TKtravels · February 2014

So we've talked about what crazy things scare us now.. but what about when we were children?

TKtravels · February 2014

When I was 4 or 5, I was afraid to go to sleep because I was convinced that my boogers were going to grow so thick that I would be smothered by them in my sleep. And I somehow knew that when I died, I would just be worm food and there would be NOTHING.. no heaven, no god, no rainbows and puppies. I remember so many nights where I'd be up worrying about this.

At the same age, I was afraid to be discovered with an injury because I knew my mom would take me in for stitches and/or shots. To get around this, I got really good at washing, dressing, and then hiding my battle wounds.

When I was in first grade, I was afraid to pee in the public bathrooms at school (the whole class took bathroom breaks at the same time) because someone might hear my stream of urine exiting my body.

When I was 8 or 9, I was afraid to go to the bathroom with the lights on at home because I felt like the boys I had crushes on would somehow be able to see my in the mirror that was visible from the toilet.

Jenly117 · February 2014

I used to be afraid that a snake or something would come up and bite me while using the toilet. To combat this fear I would straddle the toilet facing the handle so that I could look down while taking care of business. Real cute.

smlowe9311 · February 2014

When I was about first grade age on Christmas Eve I was convinced that the shadow outside my window was an elf with a gun and refused to go back to sleep. My poor parents had to get up at like 3 am right after going to sleep from putting the presents out. And of course I had to cross the living room to get to their room so I saw all the presents and couldn't go back to sleep after that.

VitaLuna · February 2014

I always thought someone might chase me from the mailbox in the dark. I would walk out there fine, then panic that someone was chasing me and run like the wind back to the house and slam/lock the door.

I also thought the shadow from the bush outside my window was someone waiting for me to go to sleep so they could break in.

redfallon · February 2014

The Rifleman. The opener of the show when he's walking down main street pumping the rifle? He was coming to get me ... in my nightmares when I was 5. I would go take my blanket and lay down in the floor next to my parents bed.

redfallon · February 2014

Also scared of fires. I was afraid that our house was going to catch on fire and I didn't want to be in my nightgown if that happened, so for a while (why is it so hard to remember how long things lasted when you were a kid?) I went to bed fully dressed. I also couldn't sleep because I was trying to decide which of my stuffed animals I would take with me if a fire happened. I am not sure how old I was but 4th grade or less.

KaramelSutra · February 2014

Spnontaneous combustion. I was so scared of a phenomenon that left a pile of ashes and whatever footwear was on in place

DaisyZH · February 2014

I would lie in bed terrified that the devil was going to come get me. No idea why, my parents weren't super-religious or horror movie fans. My poor mom was horrified when I told her, what a creepy thing for a kid to be scared of!

PumpkinMommaaa · February 2014

My mother. I was so afraid to get caught doing something wrong!

And clowns. I was so afraid of clowns. When I was like fifteen or so I went to an amusement park in Florida that was all set up for Halloween. They had the whole place decked out and someone told some clowns there that I didn't like them and the clowns chased me. They surrounded me saying my name. It was like a horror movie. After that I overcame my fear.

Also garden nomes. I thought they were real and came to life at night to do there dirty work. I buried every one my mom bought. She had no idea.

JLMcWeeney · February 2014

I was afraid of the Sesame Street scene where the dog pretends to be an alligator under the bed. I was so scared an alligator would be under my bed after watching that.

bkennicott11 · February 2014

@karamelsutra i was terrified of spontaneous combustion too!! i saw it on unsolved mysteries when i was little and i just KNEW that would be my fate lol

kennazebrowsky · February 2014

Clowns and they still give me the heebie Jeevies

Watching movies like It and Polgergiest did me in

My brother had a clown doll that looked just like the one in Polgergeist and we shredded that sucker up because we thought it was going to come alive

bermybabe68 · February 2014

First, you guys are so funny! I had a good laugh reading these

. My fear was alligators under the bed too after watching Crocodile Dundee when I was 6 or 7. I would somehow leap from my doorway to my bed without touching the ground. It was a good distance. I also feared a huge bird would swoop down and snatch me thanks to my two older brothers telling me this while we played badminton and a heron flew overhead.

RoosterWrangler · February 2014

I love hearing everyone's irrational fears, they crack me up! Here are mine:

1. I was afraid of cannibals. For some reason I had it in my mind that cannibals lived in the alley behind my house and that they would kidnap me and boil me in a big pot.

2. I was terrified of the opening theme song to the show Perry Mason. It always came on late at night after I Love Lucy. I had to run to the TV (we didn't have a remote control) and turn it off before Perry Mason came on. Here's a youtube clip of the theme song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PA9t1nSGXXE

hilalk · February 2014

I was scared that I would vomit in my sleep and wouldn't wake up. Then all kinds of ants and bugs would come and eat my lips with the vomit. I think I heard a story like that or maybe watched a psycho movie.

KaramelSutra · February 2014

As an adult I'm afraid of steam vents, subway grates, man hole covers. Anything basically that could fail and I could go plummeting to my death while walking...

redfallon · February 2014

@RoosterWrangler said:

I love hearing everyone's irrational fears, they crack me up! Here are mine:
1. I was afraid of cannibals. For some reason I had it in my mind that cannibals lived in the alley behind my house and that they would kidnap me and boil me in a big pot.
2. I was terrified of the opening theme song to the show Perry Mason. It always came on late at night after I Love Lucy. I had to run to the TV (we didn't have a remote control) and turn it off before Perry Mason came on. Here's a youtube clip of the theme song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PA9t1nSGXXE

That reminded me that I was afraid of listening to Michael Jackson "Thriller". Not watching the video - listening to the song scared me. Somehow during the day was worse.

noelani42 · February 2014

I was a pretty fearless kid, but I had a recurring nightmare that these mean people brought this machine to our school and every kid had to go through it and it either stained your clothes with big black polka dots or crushed you into a million pieces (???) I still remember the details of that nightmare I must've had it a million times (I think the idea of the machine came from the silly John Candy scary movie- I forgot the name- I shouldn't have watched that...)

noelani42 · February 2014

yep, @susanb887, that was it...the movie was "Nothing But Trouble"...it gave me the eebie jeebies

JocelynB0911 · February 2014

Escalators. I couldn't go down one. I would get all clamy, dizzy, just... Ugh.

redfallon · February 2014

@JocelynB0911 said:

Escalators. I couldn't go down one. I would get all clamy, dizzy, just... Ugh.

I was always afraid that I would get my feet caught in the escalator and it would take me under. I liked riding on it as a kid, but I didn't like the getting on and getting off part. I still don't like getting off an escalator.

JocelynB0911 · February 2014

redfallon said:

@JocelynB0911 said:

Escalators. I couldn't go down one. I would get all clamy, dizzy, just... Ugh.

I was always afraid that I would get my feet caught in the escalator and it would take me under. I liked riding on it as a kid, but I didn't like the getting on and getting off part. I still don't like getting off an escalator.

Remember the show "rescue 911"? Yea a kid got his shoe laces caught in an escalator. Nope. Nope. Hell to the no. I'm getting anxiety thinking about it.

redfallon · February 2014

@JocelynB0911 said:

@JocelynB0911 said:

Escalators. I couldn't go down one. I would get all clamy, dizzy, just... Ugh.

I was always afraid that I would get my feet caught in the escalator and it would take me under. I liked riding on it as a kid, but I didn't like the getting on and getting off part. I still don't like getting off an escalator.
Remember the show "rescue 911"? Yea a kid got his shoe laces caught in an escalator. Nope. Nope. Hell to the no. I'm getting anxiety thinking about it.

Nope nope nope no way. %-( I really didn't like/don't like riding with flip flops for fear of getting toes stuck and drug under it. X_X

RoosterWrangler · February 2014

There was also a Rescue 911 episode where a kid got her hair caught in the drain at the bottom of the pool. That caused a lot of terror in my childhood mind.

leahaustin · February 2014

I used to be afraid that IT (the clown) lived in my toilet and in my sink. My older siblings let me watch that movie with them when I was 4 and it took my awhile to get over it. lol.

TKtravels · February 2014

JocelynB0911 said:

@JocelynB0911 said:

Escalators. I couldn't go down one. I would get all clamy, dizzy, just... Ugh.

I was always afraid that I would get my feet caught in the escalator and it would take me under. I liked riding on it as a kid, but I didn't like the getting on and getting off part. I still don't like getting off an escalator.
Remember the show "rescue 911"? Yea a kid got his shoe laces caught in an escalator. Nope. Nope. Hell to the no. I'm getting anxiety thinking about it.

This happened to one of my friends during undergrad! Thankfully, only her shoe was eaten.. but still.. scary stuff!

hmlynch84 · February 2014

One day in about 2-3rd grade a girl told me to trace a star on my desk and then to trace a circle around it. Then she told me I just drew the devil's sign and that he was going to get me when I was sleeping. I was terrified for a long time.

JocelynB0911 · February 2014

TKtravels said:

JocelynB0911 said:

redfallon said:

@JocelynB0911 said:

Escalators. I couldn't go down one. I would get all clamy, dizzy, just... Ugh.

I was always afraid that I would get my feet caught in the escalator and it would take me under. I liked riding on it as a kid, but I didn't like the getting on and getting off part. I still don't like getting off an escalator.
Remember the show "rescue 911"? Yea a kid got his shoe laces caught in an escalator. Nope. Nope. Hell to the no. I'm getting anxiety thinking about it.

This happened to one of my friends during undergrad! Thankfully, only her shoe was eaten.. but still.. scary stuff!

--fuck you quote box--

I'm only loving this because it's confirming my fears.

I also have a fear of bridges. Especially bridges over water. I think they're going to collapse and I still hyperventilate if I'm on one. My dh thought I was nuts until the I35 bridge collapse happened.

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