It turns out that quick sand, burglars and house fires are far less of a risk in adult life than I'd anticipated. Phew!

[Limth]

As a child, I felt certain I'd witness at least one untimely death in quick sand. Possibly my own.

I also felt certain I'd be burgled in the middle of the night on multiple occasions by a duo of tiptoeing men, one of whom would be wearing a stripy top.

And I felt sure that, at least once in my life, I'd wake in the night to a room filled with smoke as my house burned down around me. I still won't let my dog sleep downstairs just in case of fire.

These eventualities were so ubiquitous in children's media - I was born mid-80s - that I was sure they were just eventualities. In fact, almost obligations - these things were so ubiquitous to be almost legal mandates - that everyone had to experience a house fire, burglary and a brush with quick sand death at some point.

What things from your childhood turned out to actually be far less of a risk than you'd thought?

No, you should definitely keep doing this. Just in case.

Yes I'm 50 now, and have finally conceded I'm probably not going to die by drowning in a silo of grain.

The chip pan has yet to catch fire. Although we did throw it out circa 1980 and even if it did, we watched enough adverts to be fully equipped ( a wet tea towel).

Are you absolutely sure, you just never know.

My fear of quicksand came from The neverending story. Even now when I go to the beach, I always have a slight thought...

Oh yes, this too. I remember being rigid with fear whenever we had to use a level crossing on foot, convinced my foot would become stuck in the wooden slats (I now live in a part of the world with no trains so I'm free from the torture).

My mind was blown when I went to DH's Scandinavian home town and the train lines just run through the town with no fences or gates or designated crossing points with lights and bells. Apparently they just grew up knowing not to cross when a train was coming. Wild.

My Irish childhood tv taught me to fear water butt's. However I did get my long skirt ripped off by an escalator in London once, so I'm keeping that fear!

The Bermuda triangle. How have I not been sucked into it?

Mine is accidentally going near a naked flame while wearing a shell suit (that my mum wouldn't let me have)

Sharks

In swimming pools

Obviously

One of Jerry Seinfeld's, but no, you can't ruin your appetite

Three another one, believe me

Apparently the chip pan thing was people coming home pissed and then smoking or falling asleep.

Which would explain why it was so confusing for school children.

Of eras past that one now!

Piranhas.

And rabies.

And I can't remember reading of a kite-related electrocution for ages now.

Bath is a caldera though, so it could happen I mean, it's incredibly unlikely, but the mechanism does exist

Unfortunately that one is real. There are some every year; and my childhood friends brother drowned in a quarry.

Asteroids are suddenly back in the news........

This! I am still deeply, DEEPLY uncomfortable having to walk across tram lines knowing that we are all in mortal peril doing so.

It turned out that washing my hair or - god forbid - having a bath during That Time wasn’t going to result in pneumonia (double punishment there - I’d be really ill, and everyone would guess why).

But I was pretty sure God was not going to strike me down, despite the dire warnings of the nuns at school, as I didn’t know anyone who had been struck down even once.

We actually were burgled when I was a child. But it seems paranormal activity has been less of a risk for me! I watched a lot of Ghostbusters and Scooby Doo.

Being trapped in an empty freezer on a building site. Glue sniffing. We had stickers in my primary school (!) about glue sniffing. I was more worried about rabies that I needed to be as well.

@WeMeetInFairIthilien Yikes! I now live nearer to Bath than Bristol.

Oh my god yes! I was terrified of quicksand after seeing laurence of Arabia

Also the Bermuda triangle hasn't been nearly as much of a problem as I thought it would be. As a child I genuinely didn't understand why nobody was DOING anything about it.

I am a little older than you OP, born in the 70s, however...

these things unfortunately are very real and not that uncommon. We had a burglar break into the house in the middle of the night (yes, I am traumatised for life - it was 30 years ago and every night I am pedantic about precautions). And a school mum acquaintance accidentally burned her house down - just because she put something down momentarily and forgot. And I am not a million miles from WSM - the sinking mud/quick sand is dangerous.

I blame Michael Burke

The fear came from the Public Info Films! I was definitely shown them at school on the 'big telly'. These 3 stand out in my memory!

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