As a child or an adult what are/were you afraid of ? I am afraid of clowns. Always was. I was always afraid of the

[debm55]

monster under the bed. I would start at the door and run toward the bed. About two feet from the bed I would make a flying leap to the bed avoiding the bottom where the monster could pull me under. What would scare you as a kid?

[Coventina]

1. My parents were fundies. When I was taught about The Rapture that totally terrified me.

I was well into my thirties as an adult before I started to really recover from that.

[debm55]

4. I am so sorry, that was done to you. So glad you recovered.

[SheltieLover]

11. Awwww, {{{TINA}}}

I'm so sorry you were subjected to that.

[EYESORE 9001]

2. Vampires

Horror of Dracula really put the zap on my 7-year-old head. A local TV station showed the movie right after school let out, which seems irresponsible in retrospect. Sure hated to see nightfall later on. Coulda been worse if we’d had a color TV, as I would have seen lots of vivid red imagery like Hammer Studios intended.

[debm55]

5. Thank you very much. Usually those programs are on after 11: 30 on Saturday nights. I am sorry you saw that.

[EYESORE 9001]

10. Oh, they showed horror films from the 50s every day

The Thing That Wouldn’t Die was another one that gave my young self the willies.

[debm55]

24. I am so sorry for you. We had cartoons on after school.

[EYESORE 9001]

25. Well...it's not like I couldn't have watched cartoons instead

but, even then, I sought out the scary & surrealistic.

[sop]

3. Closet door left slightly ajar in my bedroom at night..

[debm55]

6. Oh that would be very scary.

[SheltieLover]

12. I had one of those "scary closet doors as well"

Terrifying as a little kiddo, but as soon as a parent would come and close it, all would be well.

[debm55]

28. I am glad you had parents that were aware of your fears. SheltieLover.

[SheltieLover]

31. I'm glad, too, Deb.

[no_hypocrisy]

7. My father until the night he died.

TMI?

I grew believing with justification that if I were "disobedient", I'd be cut off financially. And I was right: I was disinherited when he had an estate worth $1.5 million.

He hit me only once: when I was under 2, he gave me two heavy swats on my rear for lying about brushing my teeth. (I was 2 ! ! ! ) But he made it a mission to intimidate me with threats. He micromanaged my life.

I went to therapy for 3-1/2 years, twice a week. Futile. My fear ended when the doctors told me was dead.

[debm55]

27. You know what no_hypocrisy. I could add my parents to my list of things I was scrared of. Love -no , Fear-yes. I had my

baby teeth punch out at 3 and a hunting rifle held to my head at 15 and told that he would blow my head off if I brought another N____r record into his house. This was among other things. I can relate. Now they want me to chip in for a tombstone for my dad and my mother whey she passes.

[no_hypocrisy]

30. My heartfelt condolences debm55.

I wish I didn't share this pain.

Please remember that IT'S OVER. DONE. We're safe.

[MuseRider]

8. The very same things you were afraid of.

I bet you also could not let your feet or arms out of the covers or your toes even enter the crack at the side where the sheets went down for tucking.

My parents made me stand in the middle of the room crying until I would quit. They made it hard to get all the way into the bed, everything including spanking and it just got worse. If anyone wonders why I am kinda weird there you go.

The jump to the bed was a long jump. Scary stuff.

[MuseRider]

13. I forgot the clown stuff.....same.

Lots of stories there. What was it that made parents think they could beat it out of you?

[debm55]

23. I don't know why.they would do that. Bad parenting skills. is my guess.

[debm55]

33. I feel your pain my dear MuseRider. I really do. The bed was terrifying for me. So were the clowns. But my own family

was the ones I was scared of the most throughout my life.

[MuseRider]

45. Oh I can so identify.

I do not want to get into it, it is kind of over at the age of 71 but they sound like kindred child creepers and hitters. Many many hugs to you, it is over?

[debm55]

49. I am 70, My father is dead. did I cry, no. My mother and siblings still live together. Do I visit-no, Do I call no.

After years of getting punched, called a pimple faced whore. etc. I left and never looked back. thank you for your kind words MuseRider. It will always be there. But since I have gone no contact it is better.

[underpants]

9. Kosmemophobia

People with kosmemophobia are frightened and repulsed by jewelry, commonly but not limited to metal jewelry. Wearing or touching any type of metal jewelry distresses them, some types more than others.[1] After touching someone’s ring, a kosmemophobic person may feel compelled to repeatedly wash their hands. They tend to avoid jewelry stores and other places where jewelry is common.[2]

https://phobia.fandom.com/wiki/Kosmemophobia

[debm55]

22. Thank you very much underpants. I never heard of that. It must be very scary for people with that condition.

[Diamond_Dog]

14. Spiders, centipedes, anything creepy crawly.

[debm55]

19. Thank you Diamond_Dogs. I agree. And I would also add snakes.

[Diamond_Dog]

50. Oh yes, definitely snakes! TY Deb.

One time a snake crawled across my shoe and I was literally petrified. I couldn’t move!

[SheltieLover]

15. When I was very young, my mother's old-fashioned wringer washer

I suppose to drive the point of how dangerous that beast was home, they called it "The Monster."

Small price to pay in order to not get my hand or hair stuck in that thing...

[debm55]

16. Thank you very much SheltieLover. I can why you were scared.At the age of three, I did get my hand and arm up to the

shoulder, Instead of opening the wringer. My mother put in release. No visit hospital or doctor afterward. She tells the story as it being at my aunt's house. but my aunt had an automatic,

[SheltieLover]

17. OMG, Deb, that had to be terrifying!

I wasn't allowed to even stand close to "The Monster," not that I wanted to. I mostly watched my mom to make sure it didn't eat her.

Oh, and then there was the gas furnace that truly looked like a monster. It was green and had bars on the front of it, between which you could see the gas flames...

[debm55]

18. Thank you SheltieLover. We had one of those furnaces too. I thought it was hell.

[SheltieLover]

21. Yes, I suppose I thought it was a monster that would drag me to "hell." I din't realize at very young age that "hell" is

a human construct.

[debm55]

34. Thank you SheltieLover.

[AllaN01Bear]

20. not me but my late mom ( name redacted ) ,

when she was a little girl and she was a little girl in the age of radio. a program called " INNER SANCTUM" would scare her socks of . grandmother would come in to the room and find her hiding behind the curtains" (name redacted) "quit listening to that show , u know it scares u".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inner_Sanctum_Mystery
me. the movie "them " did it for me, esp when the little girl screamd repeatedly, them

[debm55]

35. I am so sorry that Scarey things happened to you and your mom.

[LogDog75]

83. The Chicken Heart That Ate New York

You post reminded me of Bill Cosby's story about when he was very little his parents left him alone at home while they went out. The told him not to get out of the crib because there were a thousand invisible poisonous snakes around the crib. When he figured out they were lying he got out of the crib, went to the radio and turned on "Lights Out." The story was about a chicken heart that escaped a lab and grew to giant proportions after eating people. The radio actor said "it's outside your door" at which point Cosby began spreading jello all over the floor. When his father returned home he slipped on the jello and fell onto the floor. He asked why there was jello all over the floor and Cosby told him about the monster on the radio to which his father told him "turn it off." Cosby's reply was "I hadn't thought of that."

[CrispyQ]

26. Cancer.

My great-grandmother died of breast cancer & I saw what it did to her. Also, my astrological sign is Cancer so I thought I would get cancer. I think I was ten before I finally got over it.

[debm55]

36. Thank you very much CrispyQ, Stil keep up with the mamograms --those can be very scary too.

[ChazII]

29. Snakes be seeing them at the zoo or

on the television. The toy store, classrooms even stuff animal snakes.

[debm55]

37. thank you very much Chazil. I have a fear of snakes too. I know some are improtant to the environment but they still

scare me.

[OLDMDDEM]

32. Snakes. Still am.

[debm55]

38. Thank you OLDMDDEM, some fears are very stuck in our minds. I am scared of snakes too.

[Imalittleteapot]

39. Mosquitoes and the basement

[debm55]

40. Thank you very much for posting your fears. mosquitoes can be scary. But the basement it the light at the bottom of the

step that you had to turn the bulb was so scary. I agree with you.

[lark]

41. I am night blind so was always terrified of the dark because I can't see anything in dark conditions.

Maybe it was a loss of control thing plus fear of the unknown?

Loss of control has always been a huge thing for me! When I couldn't talk on my last shroom trip, I quit for good. I couldn't stand not being able to communicate for a few hours because the trip was so intense. Have not done any psychedelics since and I loved them prior to that.

[debm55]

42. That would be very scary to not communicate.and having a loss of control

I am glad you have stopped the use of mushrooms.

[lark]

43. Why do things that make you feel bad?

There's enough "stuff" in the world to drive you crazy, why increase the "bad" noise?

[debm55]

44. thank you lark. Very good question.

[debm55]

47. Also those things nearest to us as a child or adult are the things that frighten us the most and be hard to change in

life. Especially if they occurred as a child. Example the monster under the bed and clowns encounter can be remembered if not help by parents who can not answer the needs of their young child. Done repeatedly, it becomes negative enforcement to the fears of the child.

[2MuchNoise]

46. That thing in the basement

Me running up the steps as fast as I could because I was sure it was right behind me.

[debm55]

48. Oh that is scary. We lived in a duplex. Bedrooms on second floor. bathroom in the basement. No light switch. Had to go

Basement in the dark and turn the bulb. Yes, it was scary.

[dlilafae]

51. Oompa Loompas

Terrify me.

[debm55]

54. Thank you dlilafae. Yes they are scary.

[sestina]

52. Street cleaners

There were street cleaners, huge and loud machines that were driven down residential streets, and when I was a child, I was terrified whenever I saw them or heard them.

[debm55]

57. So sorry sestina. They are scary.

[Moostache]

53. I am afraid of my own medical destiny...

I have watched my paternal grandmother and my father descend into healthy dementia - no debilitating injury or illness outside of a total loss of memory and independent functioning.

It hit me like a freight train last week when I went to visit my ailing father and he 100% could not recognize me for a solid 10 minutes. I sat with him and watchced as his expression was confusion, agitation and fear because I was there and had interrupted his routine, his coping mechanism and thus everything was irritanting and angering for him. My soul died a little more in those 10 minutes. I watched in horror and could not stop thinking in my own head - THIS, this horror or existing without teether, without access to memories, without ability to move about freely or even with intention - THIS is my future ending, IF I survive that long.

I am constantly doing the math in my head now. At age X, what was my dad able to do? my grandmother? When did they start to slide and fade? How much do / did they know while it was happening? I find myself in near panic attacks more recently when I forget a name or a fact - not that the memory is gone, but my ability to recall it has been lost temporarily. I can feel these events, but I don't know if its because I am living through it again with dad now or if it is premonition or just plain old fear.

I once feared outliving my money and ability to do take care of myself financially. I now fear (at least 1,000X more intensely) simply outliving my mind. I define my life by my ability to make rationale decisions and choices for myself. I hate myself for inventing reasons to skip a visit to my dad because the crushing reality of his condition makes me feel bad and scared and I can't find the strength in myself to overlook it or compartmentalize it and focus on spending time with him while I can. I feel cheated, robbed of those past lost chances when his mind and body allowed for real conversations and it tears me apart.

I fear dementia. And it is terrifying in a way that no other horror or fear has ever been for me.

[debm55]

60. Be at piece my dear friend. I am 70 and there are times I forget what I went to the kitchen for, why I bought something

or did I buy something. Many people are scared of this. Is there a rep or agency for the Aging that you can talk to or go to meetings? It is very depressing to watch the ones you know slip away and wonder if that is your fate.We here have the Allegheny County Department of Aging. Many hospitals have share groups. My husband had a CAT scan for Demetia,last week, He came out clean. Sometimes when we sit and worry the scaredness takes over. Go visit your dad with a relative, so if you feel the need to slip into another part of the house when you feel a panic attack , that person will be there. Good luck Moostache. my friend, you are stronger then you think.

[ms liberty]

67. Please go see a neurologist who specializes in dementia, if you haven't already

I took care of my MiL who was diagnosed with dementia. She died in April; she had been in a memory care unit for about 10 months after her paranoid delusions caused her to start running away from home. My husband's father had Alzheimers before he died of covid in April 2020 (he was about the 5th death in NC).
I tell you all this to say that my husband of course worries about this being his fate as well. I spoke to MiL's neurologist about it during our last visit. First he pointed out that there is no guarantee that he would get it, both parents having it was not a diagnosis. Then he said " the new treatments coming on the market are going to make it so people never get that bad. We're at the point where the meds can keep it from progressing." He elaborated some, but I don't remember all the details now, a year later.
It might be good for your peace of mind to see a neurologist.

[PikaBlue]

55. Grizzly Bears

Had nightmares about them for at least 60 years.

[debm55]

56. So sorry PikaBlue. They are scary.

[PikaBlue]

58. There have never been any grizzly bears where I've lived.

Years ago, I met a fully blooded Arapahoe Christian minister (wrap your head around that) who told me that the Grizzly was my spirit animal. Who knew? I swore that my spirit animal was an otter, or a pika, or at the very least, a quokka. He said that I was terrified of the destructive nature of my shadow self and that I needed to embrace the strength of the grizzly and not the potential destructive power. Since then, I haven't had a single nightmare featuring a grizzly bear that tore me into shredded meat. But I still think my true spirit animal is something fuzzy and playful; and to further bolster my belief, I never defecate in the woods.

[debm55]

62. Thank you PikaBlue, you don't come across as a grizzly bear but as a rabbit or otter as a spirit animal. Love you.

[PikaBlue]

71. Today I am the Grizzly

Today, my only child is undergoing surgery to remove malignant tumors. This is her second bout of cancer in 3 years. Surgery was projected to last 10 to 14 hours, but it is going so well that it may be completed in 8. I definitely need the strength of the grizzly this day. I don't know that a pika could hold up under the strain.

[debm55]

73. You have our prayers and thoughts for your daughter and the family. Stay strong, Grizzly.

[PikaBlue]

75. Thank you!

She is out of surgery and it went better than expected. All visible tumors have been successfully removed. Recovery is going to take a while but she will has the strength to deal with the challenges.

[madamesilverspurs]

59. Miller moths

Parents said that as a toddler I would go catatonic just seeing a moth. As an adult, I moved out of a couple of apartments to get away from the things; can't tell you how many times I nearly wrecked my car when one of the damn things flew in my face or got inside my clothing. These days I still hate them, but have learned ways to get rid of them. Nasty things!


.

[debm55]

64. Thank you very much for sharing with us, madamesilverspurs. I am glad you have found methods to get rid of them my

friend.

[catbyte]

61. Huge waves on Lake Michigan

I loved swimming in the Big Lake, but I got caught in an undertow one time when the waves were really high, which scared the bejeezus outta me. Then I started to have nightmares about tsunami-sized waves coming at me, and I couldn't run.

[debm55]

65. Thank you very much for sharing with us , my friend. Not being able to run away from danger is a way your

Last edited Tue Jul 8, 2025, 02:01 PM - Edit history (1)

brain deals with a trauma. ==The undertow. If you notice you wake up before the water, train or animal gets to you. It is a way the brain protects you. I had 2 friends die in the underflow of Lake Erie. You were in danger. I hope that the nightmares are gone. and you are at peace. Love, Debbie.

[catbyte]

68. I was lucky, but I was also taught how to handle being caught in an undertow and also how to safely

swim out of a rip current from an early age, so I had that advantage. I haven't had one of those dreams since I moved away from the Lake. I'm a landlubber now, but still get to Big Water when I can. I'm sorry about your friends.

[Jilly_in_VA]

63. This might sound weird, but

falling on my head. I was never able to learn to dive because of that. I can't go head first into anything.

[debm55]

78. Thank you Jilly_in_VA. Yes, I understand. Thank you for sharing with us.

[ms liberty]

69. Heights. As a baby I would scream and become hysterical if I was set up high

Still hate heights.

[justaprogressive]

70. Arachnophobia (no picture!) 🐭

Fear of spiders becomes a phobia when it consumes your thoughts, interferes with your daily activities and keeps you from socializing with your family and friends. Symptoms of arachnophobia include sweating or shaking and tightness in your chest or rapid heartbeat. Behavior therapies along with relaxation and breathing exercises are the main treatment options.

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/21852-arachnophobia-fear-of-spiders

[3catwoman3]

72. People being angry at me...

...and bees/wasps/hornets.

My father was allergic to bees. This developed after several stings in close succession each while out mowing the lawn. If my mother hadn't been home when the third and most serious reaction took place, he'd probably have died. As far as I know, I am not, and I've only been stung twice in my 74 years.

I'm so terrified of stinging insects that my heart rate jumps way up if I even hear one. I joke around that I might not need an Epipen if I were stung because I get such an adrenalin surge of my own that it could suffice.

[Mad_Dem_X]

74. The dark/My own imagination

I would lie in the dark and think of all kinds of frightening things.

[greatauntoftriplets]

76. This is a weird one.

I had this idea that there was a fried octopus under my bed that magically disappeared every time I looked under the bed.

[debm55]

80. That is different. greatauntoftriplets, but as a child fears are all different. If you had an occasion where you knew

people that ate fried octopus or offered or made you eat it. the fear would be there..

[greatauntoftriplets]

81. I don't recall my parents ever eating octopus or calimari.

No idea where it came from.

[purple_haze]

77. When I was a kid

I was afraid of heights. Now I'm uneasy around them but not exactly "afraid." As an adult, I'm afraid of letting my family down, and that's about it.

[debm55]

79. Thank you very much.I am glad you have gotten over that fear. And purple-haze, as long as you have love in your heard to

Give to others, you will never let them down.

[applegrove]

82. I had a nightmare about a tall skinny man with a pumpkin for his head.

I ran to the hall and called my parents. They woke up and, though I can't remember exactly, they did make me feel better and I never had that nightmare again.

[LogDog75]

84. Giant rats

My dad was stationed in Rhode Island and we were renting a house with a huge backyard. In one part of the yard by the woods was a rock outcropping with several deep fissures. I was about six or seven and my oldest brother told me there were giant rats in the rock outcropping and I needed to stay away from it. For about a year I avoided it until I finally figured out he was lying.

[Rizen]

85. The open ocean, heights and spiders all freak me out.

[chowmama]

86. Mine is relatively minor and I got over it

Bees and anything bee-like (hornets, wasps, etc.) I used to freeze in terror and people thought I was being really brave.

Now there's an annual bumblebee nest under our back porch. I routinely sit on the top step and watch the bumbles zoom in and out between my legs. They're really kind of cute and have never interfered with me in the slightest.

And I was at a bus stop and was investigated quite closely by, I assume, a hornet. I talked to it, told it there was nothing for it here, called it sweetie and told it 'Oh, no, not on my face, are you kidding??, gently waving it away, and other endearments. I noticed after a few minutes that I was being looked at like a complete lunatic by a fellow rider who'd moved some yards away.

Well, what are you gonna do? It didn't sting me.

[LudwigPastorius]

87. I too had a monster under the bed.

Fortunately, once I got in bed, I was protected with covers...which are widely known for their magic, monster-repelling abilities.

The very first nightmare I remember having was very abstract. It was just of a long rope stretched across a darkened room. Gradually, a knot appeared in it. Then another, and another. As it filled up with knots it terrified me. I knew that when the knots got bigger and bigger, and it was noting but a line of knots, I would die.

Other things that scared me: the rosebush outside my bedroom window would rub against the window screen when it was windy. I just knew it was somebody clawing, trying to get in.

I remember having dreams of something big outside coming for me. I couldn't see it, but could hear the earth rattling thuds as it slowly made its way toward me. (This scene was played out almost perfectly in the first Jurassic Park movie when the T Rex gets loose and the kids are trapped in the jeeps. I guess Spielberg had the same kind of nightmare I had when he was a kid.)

There was also a picture book with a black and white picture of Marcel Marceau in full greasepaint peeking around a corner and grinning hideously. My brother and mom used to scare me with that picture, and thought it was funny to watch me cry.

That only takes my up to about the age of five, so I should probably see a therapist.

[debm55]

90. thank you very much, LudwigPastorious. I think monsters under the bed is very common as is running away from a monster

and not being able to move as if you are running in sand. I am very sad that your mother and brother made you cry. That was mean. And I am glad that you are here with us today.

[DUU]

88. Monster under the bed. One day I told him to leave. He did.

[debm55]

89. Thank you very much, DUU, When my son was young. We filled a spray bottle with" monster spray" to do away with the

monsters and had another one with good dreams spray.