What were your irrational fears as a child?

[virgocatlover]

I remember at 5 I was terrified of getting worms, as in the parasite. Some children at school had idiotic parents who told them they would get worms if they suck their thumb or put their fingers near their mouth. I was scared there were worms inside my stomach.

I was also very scared of the Bermuda Triangle (thanks to cartoons) as if there was a chance I will be visiting it on a frequent basis.

My dolls coming alive at night. The IRA blowing up my school, which wasn't really that irrational actually.

Quicksand. I was convinced there could just be a patch of it randomly on any beach and I'd fall into it on holiday and meet my sandy doom.

The ghost that lived on my neighbours window.

Its the way light reflected off the landing windows of mine and neighbours hpuse, creating this white shadow. I was terrified of it.

I was also scared of the troll that lived under the bridge on the park. It was an old bridge, so just like the "rickety rackety" bridge in the Three Billy Goats. My parents brought this up a couple of years ago, how I wouldn't walk over that bridge. They were very bemused by my explanation!

Vampires.

But the army of teddies protecting my neck did the trick and I survived.

Jaws coming up through the toilet/sink.

I saw it by accident when I was much too young to see it, I think I was feeling poorly and came down late at night and the film was on.

Of volcanoes...there aren't any volcanoes in Bristol.

That my little bloated tummy meant that I had somehow become pregnant from the toilet seat..

AIDS, plane crashes, death, bleach and all kind of poisons, nuclear war, empty buildings, my family dying, being sick, heart attacks (you'll not be surprised to learn I have OCD).

Same thing about the worms. We had an assembly about dog poo and worms and they said something about going blind.. I actually developed OCD because of it.

Witches beneath my bed, who would 'get' my feet if I ever dangled them over the side of the bed, or left them uncovered at night.
I still worry about this at 43 and have been a police officer for nearly 20 years

I still stick my feet under a duvet or sheet at all times in bed. 😳
(Waves to sister who thinks the same)

A shark under my bed waiting to grab me by the ankles. But I was 7yo and someone had let me watch Jaws!

At 6yo I was afraid of death. No one i knew had died, but I think it was just the age you realise what death is. I have a strong recollection of calling out to my parents at bedtime "I don't want to die" and crying uncontrollably. But yeah, maybe not so irrational!

I was scared of being sucked down the toilet when I was 12yo as I'd just read Stephen King's IT 😂

The itra.

Those electronic foot measuring things in shoe shops. Was convinced it wouldn't stop movng and would trap and crush my foot.

Wolves. I grew up in a decidedly wolf-free area!

I actually live in one of the few parts of the UK where this happens! It's not that dramatic though, you only go in up to your ankles 🤣

Aliens. I couldn't bear to hear anything about them. I was watching Fraggle Rock one day when I was 8 and it lost sound for a minute in the middle of it. When the end credits came on, the TV announcer apologized for the temporary loss of sound and said it must have been caused by aliens!! I fucking shit myself. Wtf though, what a weird thing to say!

Tidal waves. In Surrey. I was bleakly terrified of one getting me.
Nuclear war.
My mum dying.

I got an irrational fear of face paint, and masks and the people who paint themselves as statues when I was about 8 still have it. We went to a museum and got tapped on my shoulder never been more scared.

To this day I am still convinced the plastic doll things in museums are going to turn alive and try and get me. If they are behind glass I will go in the room as they have to break the glass first gives me time to escape. If they aren't behind glass nope don't go in there.

The test card girl UK with the clowns.
I hated her staring at me.
In infant school circa 1978 they wheeled the big TV in and there she was.
I screamed the hall down, and was taken away to sit with the school secretary, who told me I was a very silly girl indeed.
It was really to me.
And I did have family issues going on then too.

Lying on my front, after Daniel (fourth year juniors) said if you do, your bones could break. I’m in my fifties now, and still don’t like lying on my front.

Tbf threadworms do tend to be more easily caught if you put your fingers in your mouth.

However I was once convinced, with no evidence, that I had a tapeworm. I'd read in a book (Jungle doctor?) about someone who temped the tapeworm out of their mouth by leaning over hot stew and it followed the smell up their mouth. I wasn't sure if I wanted to get rid of it by doing this, or whether I'd rather it didn't come out of my mouth... I remember trying not to breathe too deeply as dm brought out the oxtail stew from the oven in her big stew pot. 🤣

I am 40, and still can’t go swimming in pretty much any pool. But especially council leisure centres. Because of jaws.

also. I’m terrified of overhead power lines because of those god awful adverts at school back in the 90’s.

I was terrified of the Sandman, I thought he would put sleepy dust in my eyes and I would go blind 😂

Wolves

The bad guys from Home Alone who were potentially hiding in the upstairs toilet.

how Could I forget??

labyrinth

specifically, David Bowie.