What Were Your Worst Childhood Fears?

[CutiePieClara]

While there are already plenty of websites listing the most common childhood fears, I'm specifically interested in what they were for my fellow tickle pervs. For the purposes of this thread, I'm defining "worst" as either the most terrifying, most persistent, or most difficult to overcome. I'm also defining childhood as ages 4 to 17.

Bonus Questions

How did this fear evolve over time? (Example: a fear of spiders turned into a fear of a specific subspecies of spider, or human-sized spiders.)

Was your worst childhood fear ever tied into tickling? (Example: a fear of the boogeyman in your closet creeping out to tickle you in your sleep.)

Did your worst childhood fear cross over into adulthood? (Example: you still feel an urge to climb on top of something when you see a spider on the floor, and check the inside of your closet before you go to bed to make sure the boogeyman isn't in there.)

If you answered "no" to the previous question, how old were you when you got over this fear?

:blush As for me, worst childhood fear was the standard monster under the bed, though sometimes I was also afraid one might sneak in through my bedroom window while I was asleep. I didn't stop looking under my bed until I was almost 13. Eep.

 

[dalekfire]

Doesn't help that the typical child's bedroom has no lack of spots and spaces such a boogeyman-like monster can choose to lurk within, right? 🙂 Especially since there's no real way to "escape" that under-the-bed strike-zone - no matter which direction one chooses to jump off said bed and make a run for it, anything can come darting out to grip an ankle from any direction!

While not fearing anything in particular underneath the bed, I did have a childhood impulse of keeping my feet resting on top the mattress if I were sitting on the bed, and not letting my legs and feet hang off - that subconsious feeling that something might have a shot at grabbing my ankles if they were hanging off the side. I admit, a more ticklish scenario did cross my mind back then - at least, it later developed into a bit of a fantasy later in childhood, that something WOULD grab me, trap me underneath, and tickle me silly...I even started to hope it would happen! But in the moment, when it was still a (slight) fear/(paranoia), I wasn't thinking tickling, but rather the fear of capture.

Anyway, to answer the topic question, my worst childhood fear was that of people - crowds, public speeches, even regular conversation, as I had (still have) a stuttering issue and the inability to form my thoughts into coherent sentences. Doesn't help that I'm an introvert by nature. ^_^; But especially as a child, that was a very legitimate fear, also debilitating to a certain extent. I started to "conquer" said fear during my highschool days thanks in large part to the Internet - which, up until that point, only really hampered any efforts at helping the issue, due to my dependance on IM services for my social needs. :blush But in a way, chatting online all the time helped me latch onto sentences a lot quicker, and I finally started applying that to real conversation. 'Til this day, I'm still a wreck when it comes to talking to people I'm not familiar with, but I can at least hold my ground without losing it like before. >.>

God help me if/when this affects me in a scenario where I'm tied down and tickled - save for blurting out a safeword, good luck trying to understand what weird things will come out of my mouth amongst the laughter... :blush

 

[Critical Kai]

I used to be afraid of earth being hit by a meteor.

I was about 7 and I read a newspaper article with a dramatic headline about a potential impact in the coming years and I thought we were all going to die.

The fear didn't last long. However, I initially was afraid of playing Majora's Mask having seen the moon drop during a preview, I got over the fear over the course of actually playing it.

What I learnt from the experience is to not let yourself fall victim to fear mongering and to question bogus journalism.

Be aware. Be critical.

 

[dentrag1231]

Dogs, because I saw my mother's hand get bit by one and it freaked me the fuck out. She was fine, no permanent damage or scarring, but there was a lot of blood. Got over that when my family got a dog, and I was left with the choice of conquering my fear, or starving to death in my room with the door closed.

Also, open water, because of Jaws, deep blue sea, banjo kazooie, majoras mask, mario sunshine, etc. That one is still with me.

 

[Cryptic71]

I was and still am terrified of spiders thanks to an incredibly dickish prank (more of a sick joke) that my dad did to me when I was like.. 2 years old.

The fear is dying down a bit now though. It might be gone in a few years.

I used to be afraid of drowning, but not anymore. Funny because was even a decent swimmer.

 

[chicag0]

I am pretty sure I developed an anxiety disorder early on due to my upbringing. So I'd have to say my biggest childhood fear was fear. I was not afraid of a lot of things as I had to deal with pretty serious shit as a kid, but mostly I was afraid of being too scared to come up with a plan and put it into action. Not being able to stay calm under pressure to make sure my siblings and I were safe.

 

[TKLVR181]

Being trapped. Logical, with my decreased mobility (for those who aren't aware, I was born with Spina Bifida, a hole in my back-I use a wheelchair to get around). I can't stand being in a situation where I don't have the freedom to get in my chair and get away, and I always have it next to me even when I'm sitting elsewhere. This is probably why I dislike flying so much.

People yelling. I think this one probably stems from the same as above, since growing up I was around family yelling a lot (not at me, at each other) and I couldn't leave the house on my own.

I used to be absolutely paralyzed with fear at the sight of a spider, but positive interactions over the last year have helped decrease that one quite a bit.

Big crap from space. This is the least logical one, and I know it, but meteors, rogue planets, rogue suns (if you don't know about those last two, look it up at risk of your own mental sanity), and of course the moon falling. Yes I played (most of) Majora's Mask, and yes the first time I realized what the controller shaking meant I about crapped myself xD

EDIT: Almost forgot suffocation. I nearly choked to death once and nearly drowned another time (saved by my grandad and dad respectively), so now any choking hazard scares me. Water, poison, you name it.

~K

 

[Featherdemon]

Deep water. I mean really deep - so deep that all is black around you and you can't see anything. 😵 So out of my element. Eeesh

 

[Senshi1]

I used to have a fear of spiders. Then, when faced with an infestation, I decided to learn about them (this was about a year ago). Since then, I've become absolutely obsessed with them, and my fear turned into fascination, and finally adoration. Now I can't even walk past a web without getting up close to see who's in it.

Confrontations with other people - another common one. People don't act rationally when they're upset, which makes interacting with them frustrating, unpredictable, and scary. They try hard to keep the argument going, but when I try to discuss things in a calm way, they brush it off so they can shout some more. Usually it makes them even angrier at me. I'm told that a lot of this trouble comes from my style of interacting due to Aspergers Syndrome, but even looking past that, I can't understand why people go to such lengths to remain in a situation as unpleasant as fighting, actively fighting any signs of resolution in the process.

Another fear I had was buttons - the type you get on clothes. This one isn't as common, but isn't unheard of, either. I am at the stage where on necessary occasions I HAVE to wear clothes with buttons (I don't know why every formal male item of clothing ever seems to have to have as many buttons as humanly possible - what is it about buttons that's considered so incredibly posh?). Even though I can stand them to a degree, touching them is still akin to touching someone else's chewed up food or the wet end of their cigarette, and the urge to scratch off the skin and wash my hands in scalding water often follows (especially when I'm already stressed).

 

[dalekfire]

Also, open water, because of Jaws, deep blue sea, banjo kazooie, majoras mask, mario sunshine, etc.

NO FLIPPIN' JOKE @___@; Goddamn Snacker the Shark... >_>

 

[Numbah-1]

Its crazy to think about being a 'ler, but I was scared of getting tickled lol I seem to always take a extremely defensive position when people who are comfortable around start messing around.

Another really big fear is the supernatural. Its ultra fucking creepy! Could write all morning about that topic but it pretty obvious ghost buster wouldve got wrecked by evil spirits of this era.

My biggest legitimate fear is going blind though. I could be ok with even getting cut in half but I get shivers over the thought of being sight-less.

 

[dentrag1231]

NO FLIPPIN' JOKE @___@; Goddamn Snacker the Shark... >_>

"Wow, easiest Jinjo ever. I'll just-- WAIT NO NO WHAT NO Oh SHIT NO CRAP NO NO NO"

 

[TKLVR181]

Its crazy to think about being a 'ler, but I was scared of getting tickled lol I seem to always take a extremely defensive position when people who are comfortable around start messing around.

I used to be batshit terrified of it to the point where I managed to convince everyone I wasn't ticklish so people would leave me the frig alone. But then again, my terror came from being too young to understand the butterflies :stickout

~K

 

[BlackDragonScar]

Having too much of a creative imagination. I was always afraid of the dark. I always would think something would grab me and pull me into its clutches and kill me or lock me away forever.

 

[Mairon]

I used to read horror stories as a kid and I read one with the protagonist being buried alive. I had nightmares about it 😛

 

[Senshi1]

I used to read horror stories as a kid and I read one with the protagonist being buried alive. I had nightmares about it 😛

This reminds me of a short story I once read by Stephen King. I forget the title, but it was from the collection "Nightmares and Dreamscapes". It was about a mafia boss being buried in a 10ft hole inside his Cadillac. It was so vividly written, it almost gave me a bloody panic attack just reading it. @_@

 

[Mairon]

Yeah Stephen King is the best when it comes to freaking people out. He describes things in great detail but with some kind of emotional detachment that scares the shit out of people. No wonder he is so popular :drool

 

[Nuciferyne]

I've never been one that was easy to scare, persay. So I was always the one that friends would bruise and claw during horror movies or haunted houses because I was their climbing pillar haha.

However, I have always been terrified of super deep ocean/lake water. Even on irrational levels like not IRL. There was a level in the n64 Legend of Zelda: OoT where you had to go in this hole and eels would come out from the sides. I couldn't do it. Nope. Even though I KNEW it was just a game idk man. I freeze. I guess because in my mind I know that there are so many possibilities for what's out there because the ocean is still so unknown. If it's a pool or something it can go on forever that's fine, it has no effect. But like, for some reason even oceans and stuff in video games freak me out. XD (Didn't help that I played Monster Hunter................. ;____; so when this mofo pops out, and this one chases you across the map... mini heart attacks all around!

I actually think it's gotten worse as I've gotten older. :'I

I used to be absolutely petrified of spiders too, because in Virginia they were ENORMOUS and most of them could kill you. And hoguhgoahgu they just look... ghoahgu....

Annyyyway, I've been getting braver about that one. I still sometimes see them crawling up the wall when I first wake up, but now I'm old enough to know that a spider the size of my head is only possible in Australia. 😀

Those are my only two true phobias but, I do have a huge fear about going blind. Everything I do requires sight, so without it I end up feeling like I may as well just lay down and die. v__v

 

[Beckers1]

I am somewhat glad to see the fear of the water is relatively common. It is definitely the biggest problem for myself as it plays into my childhood a lot. I spent a lot of time in a Maritime province which is most notable for having a large fishing community. My Uncle took me out on his boat when I was about 8 years old, maybe a little younger. I had my first traumatic experience with a whale. As a child I don't know facts like whales being docile. I just see this massive creature looming under the waters, once that could capsize us with relative ease. At this point I screamed and cried until he was forced to take us back to the docks.

Now even as an adult I am terrified of the ocean, there are creatures that defy all laws of nature living in there, some being literally millions of years old. And add onto this ocean sounds, I was recently linked to a video of various unexplained ocean sounds and some are said to be emitted by unknown creatures, but even the ones that are explained, like icebergs colliding or underwater quakes they all just sound so terrifying.

Edit- Also to anyone interested in said video, maybe wanting to understand a bit about how utterly eerie the ocean waters sound check out that video. It's crazy how much the typical sounds of the ocean sound like they're straight out of a sci-fi movie. Keep in mind the very first one, the bloop, has already been debunked several years ago, the others however well that's up for debate. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZ4g5NVWaVw

 

[Senshi1]

I am somewhat glad to see the fear of the water is relatively common. It is definitely the biggest problem for myself as it plays into my childhood a lot. I spent a lot of time in a Maritime province which is most notable for having a large fishing community. My Uncle took me out on his boat when I was about 8 years old, maybe a little younger. I had my first traumatic experience with a whale. As a child I don't know facts like whales being docile. I just see this massive creature looming under the waters, once that could capsize us with relative ease. At this point I screamed and cried until he was forced to take us back to the docks.

Now even as an adult I am terrified of the ocean, there are creatures that defy all laws of nature living in there, some being literally millions of years old. And add onto this ocean sounds, I was recently linked to a video of various unexplained ocean sounds and some are said to be emitted by unknown creatures, but even the ones that are explained, like icebergs colliding or underwater quakes they all just sound so terrifying.

Edit- Also to anyone interested in said video, maybe wanting to understand a bit about how utterly eerie the ocean waters sound check out that video. It's crazy how much the typical sounds of the ocean sound like they're straight out of a sci-fi movie. Keep in mind the very first one, the bloop, has already been debunked several years ago, the others however well that's up for debate. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZ4g5NVWaVw

I actually was interested, thanks for sharing that video - it was EXTREMELY creepy. :scared Scary things seem to draw me in and fascinate me, and deep, unexplored waters and whatever-the-heck is living in them is of endless interest to me. I get the same feeling from this stuff that kids get from ghost stories - terrifying, but utterly irresistible.

 

[dalekfire]

My fiancé fancies her animal spirit to be a dolphin, and her eyes change color when swimming in the ocean, and I'm a resident Hawaiian from islands smack-dab in the center of the largest body of water on Earth.

Water and I are bros. 😛






Except when Snacker the Shark is nearby. ;_;

 

[Nuciferyne]

Ahhh so I'm not the only one here with this feearr. 8D
That makes me feel better at least lol

My fiancé fancies her animal spirit to be a dolphin, and her eyes change color when swimming in the ocean, and I'm a resident Hawaiian from islands smack-dab in the center of the largest body of water on Earth.

Water and I are bros. 😛

Except when Snacker the Shark is nearby. ;_;

You know, the saddest part is I LOVE to swim I LOOOOVE water but I'm so scared of what's in it. ;__;
It's also amazing that your fiance's eyes change color like that!!! People around here always think I'm some mutant because my eyes change color a LOT.

 

[Beckers1]

I actually was interested, thanks for sharing that video - it was EXTREMELY creepy. :scared Scary things seem to draw me in and fascinate me, and deep, unexplored waters and whatever-the-heck is living in them is of endless interest to me. I get the same feeling from this stuff that kids get from ghost stories - terrifying, but utterly irresistible.

Yeah I have a sorta morbid curiosity with the ocean. I am really interested of learning what it holds and the mysteries it contains, but I ain't going anywhereeeee near it myself. I was one of those people who was genuinely interested in the Loch Ness Monster but I mean it's obvious now that it can't exist. It might have at one point but theres no way it'd survive over the years since its first spotting.

 

[dalekfire]

It's also amazing that your fiance's eyes change color like that!!! People around here always think I'm some mutant because my eyes change color a LOT.

If only yours turn purple, hm? 😉 Yeah, it's such a neat phenomenon! So pretty too, the way it sort of gradually shifts, like magic!

As far as what's IN the ocean, it's crazy that we technically know more about space than we do about what lies beneath, at least in the deepest of depths. And to ask the question, in which scenario would you feel more unsettled in - sitting in a safe, transparent bubble that's floating about in the vacuum of space, high above the Earth, or in a safe, transparent bubble that's floating just above the very bottom of Challenger Deep, knowing that the deep ocean's crushing pressure is all around you?

 

[Oblivion]

Kraaaakeeeens


Edit:

Krakens are cool and they terrify me. The ocean depths? Holy hell that is a scary place, even knowing what humans do know.


When I was a kid, I had this immense fear that spiders or bugs were on the underside of the toilet seat, so because I used the bathroom I'd have to check under the seat. D: