Fears from childhood

[calismum]

So, what fears do you still have from childhood? I'm not talking 'real' fear, I mean things like ......

Every time I make a salad and cut up peppers I have to make sure every seed and bit of pith is removed. This is because my Mum told me they were poisonous. I know now this was to make sure when I helped her out I didn't leave loads of bits in, I know it isn't true. But, I can't stop doing it.

When the cybermen were in Dr Who (1st time round) my friends brother told me they lived in the basement of their house. The entrance to the basement is in their kitchen. Any time I go to visit her parents I cannot stand in the kitchen with my back to the basement door.

I still have a momentary panic if I swallow an apple seed or orange/lemon/lime pip or melon seed. My Gran said one day if I did that a big tree would grow in my tummy

So - spill your unfounded childhood fears - or am I the only irrational one on here??

[mattde]

WOW nice trick with the peppers I'll remember that one.

I don't like the feel of sponges. Give me goosebumps thinkin about touching them. Think this came from early childhood.
Probably mum forcing me to clean behind my ears.

[dandysmom]

Great idea! It's more of a phobia than a fear, but growing up my Mom and Grandma always pulled the rib out of the spinach leaves, so I still do...the idea of eating spinach with the rib in makes me feel queasy; my friends say I'm nuts! And not to sit on a cold brick wall or steps or you'll get piles ...well, I do, and don't have them, but still feel a bit weird when I do. Silly, isn't it?

And one of my best buddies saw the Invasion of the Pod People when he was little, and confessed that he was a grown man before he broke himself of the habit of looking under the bed at night....

People are so weird and wonderful11

[yola]

Yup - I had the pepper thing too. The weirdest one that springs to mind immediately is sticking your tongue out and holding it between your teeth when you're threading a needle becaue (and pardon the poor translation from Polish); "You'll sew up your intelligence if you don't"!!!

WHAT is it with Mothers????

But my real and genuine fear from childhood is fear of feathers. Nothing I can blame my Mum for, but it does stem from being sprayed with feathers from a pigeon's tail (car damage) when I was about 2 1/2. Pidge was OK - just tail-less

[dandysmom]

My fear of spiders is childhood also..terrified by a huge one when I was a toddler.......

[random]

I have a fear of ppl in football mascot type costumes. I still hate them. I vaguely remember being frightened because there was something in the news about some paedophile dressing up to groom the kids and as I was so young (probably about 8-10) I sort of understood the warning but at the same time I didn't really understand what it all meant so I think it scared me even more because it also confused me but I do know it scared the hell out of me then and I have never liked them since, if I see one I have to leave the vicinity, I still can't be close to them, they really freak me out.

I also get weary of white vans stopping near me or even just near to where children are playing, my heart jumps to my mouth as in primary school I remember vividly a white van was reported to be stopping outside the local schools and a man was said to be shouting the children over to the gates and things during break times and we were warned in assembly to stay away and tell our parents or teachers straight away and they really did put the fear of God into us over it but thinking back it was for our own safety. He came back on occasions (or could have been different people, I don't know) over a 2-3 year period but was known by all the local children of all ages as the 'white van man'.

[janey83]

Originally Posted by random

I have a fear of ppl in football mascot type costumes. I still hate them.

Omg I hate people dressed up in things like that, I run a mile when I see one.

This probably started when me and my friends whet to watch a film at the UCI cinemas. We had just arrived and all of a sudden we heard kids screaming and these 2 things (called UC = Lucy a girl and I = a boy) were chasing all the kids, they were dressed in a blue foam cine film sorta thing, Well the next thing I know is me and my friend are being chased all around the place so I ran into the toilets my friend followed but was a bit slow and they grabbed hold of her... she got free and we waited in there for a while n when we came back out they were waiting for us... Ive never been so scared in my life lol. I must of been about 10.

Here's a pic Ive just drawn, they look sweet and innocent but don't be fooled lol

UC&I

Also in Spain a few years ago at a theme park, there were tall scary things on wheels and I kept running from them, they were mingin and dead fast...(dont run away from anythin on wheels, they'll catch up to you lol)

[angieh]

Janey - those things are very scary! IMO that's not an irrational fear at all.

My "fears" or superstitions are very old fashioned, like not swallowing the aniseed pip in an aniseed ball - my mum said she was told as a child that a teacher at her school had died because she always swallowed the pip! I suppose that's like not swallowing an apple pip or any fruit seed or pip really.

And not stepping on lines or cracks in the pavement because of being eaten by the bears at the corner (Christopher Robin).

The Daleks - I always used to watch Dr Who from behind the sofa. At the time, we had a little dark bit of hallway by the bathroom and separate toilet where we used to hang our coats. I was so sure there was a monster of some sort lurking in those coats. It wasn't a Dalek, but it had something to do with Dr Who.