Phobias - have yours been picked up by your DCs?

[BarrelOfMonkeys]

I have a proper phobia of spiders, not a 'don't like them very much' small fear, but a proper brain over-riding terror accompanied by cold sweat, shakes, nausea etc. Will DD 'learn' to be afraid through my example, or will seeing other people's more normal responses balance her out? She is tiny wee baby at the mo so I am trying to decide whether it is worth forking out for a hypnotherapy course before she gets bigger.

Have you any phobias, and have they affected your kids?

I have several phobias. my DS 6 is fully aware of them all and thinks i am silly for being afraid of the things i am. He tells people mummy is scared of XYZ but i'm not. He doesn't seem to have picked any up from me, but he has a few of his own!

i don't if it is to do with me or the fact that my DH doesn't have any and it jas kind of become a little joke between them that i don't like certain things IYKWIM.

I thought that he would automatically pick up phobias from me so tried o hide them as much as possible, but i amm also just honest about what i am scared of.

That's interesting MYBF. I know I am being silly but can't help it, maybe I just go down that route of 'silly mummy and the spiders', and just make it clear she shouldn't be afraid and hope she listens to what I say and not what I do. In an ideal world, she might be able to get rid of them for me like DH does - although in less than ideal world I do have visions of her holding mummy hostage by chasing me round the house brandishing arachnids...

I know what you mean, luckily that thought hasn't crossed DS mind yet .

although it would be fairly difficult for him to hold me hostage as i don't think he would ever catch any Mice! although he has asked to have some as pets, to which i comprmised and bought him a hamster instead!
he was happy wwith that.2

Oi, what a great thread ..... Am an arachnophobic extraordinaire and basically faint (after hour-long screeching fit) at the sight of a spider big enough for me to recognize it.
We live in a lovely village that is all nice and leafy and consequently rather thick with fat ugly spiders, most of the size of small horse .
Saw a DT1 chasing 'something' another day with clear intention to eat it. Alarm bells went off like you wouldn't believe, shaky hands, the works. Yep, it was the beast itself, but a panicky one.... It really was a sight to behold, a mortally frightened spiddy zigzagging at breakneck speed trying to escape the DT1-s chubby determined fist. Had to laugh. And then haul up DHs mahoosive shoe and send spiddy to spiddy heaven.
How to deal with my phobia grande, I have no idea as of yet. Actually rather more worried about the possibility of DT-s starting to chase me around with the horried beasties, once they figure out that Mum is afraid of them, than acquiring the said phobia themselves.

Bumping!

I have a phobia of heights and noticed dd1 learn to be scared on climbing frames that she didn't used to have a problem with, so I'm convinced that they can learn the fears from us.

I've since overcompensated in my reaction and both dd's are fine with heights now. And do you know what, I'm getting better too!!!

I have a phobia of snakes. When I see them even on TV or magazines, I get the shakes, cold sweats etc.

It's so bad that once my daughter went to a birthday party - little did I know, it was a snake party where they invited the snake woman to show the kids a basket full of at least 15 snakes in all sizes. We had no warning of this at all. The kids loved it but half the mums were hiding in the laundry room and a few of the kids would bring one in at a time to show us. You should hear the screams the 'MUMS' were making. Funny now thinking about it but absolutely scary at that time. I had to stop the car on the way home and made my girl chuck her toy snake out of the window as I could not bear to look at it. Just imagine putting my had in her toy box and pulling that out.

As I was afraid of passing this phobia to her (5) and DD2 (3) (two years ago), I took them to a playgroup which advertised for that snake woman to be there to encouraged them to touch / find out etc. about snakes. They have since them a few times now at parties, zoos etc and so far, they are not scared of them. They find it funny that mummy is but they would help me so if it was on TV, they would say - don't look or ok to look etc. (Though my husbaand would say to opposite - nice of him? )

Other than snakes, I'm not scared of anything else.

Sorry this thread is so long.

I do not trust dogs I just meet in the street. I do not know their natures, I do not know what could set them up to attack.

I will cross the street to avoid a dog when I am out with either of my DCs.

Yes, DS1 has picked up on it, but I don't think it is an irrational fear.

Come to think of it, my mum hates snakes, but my brother and I are both fine with them. Suitably cautious, but not freaked out. Having said that, snakes aren't something I tend to encounter on a day to day basis! I think London Zoo do an encounter thing for kids with spiders and other creepy crawlies, so maybe I will steal your idea twolittledarlings!