What Were Your Worst Childhood Fears?

[Senshi1]

Perks of having a husband who knows a lot about spiders. Senshi helped me get (mostly) over my arachnophobia through knowledge--I still panic sometimes when they're on the ceiling or something, but he's taught me just how not aggressive to humans they really are.

~K

People tell me I talk about spiders too much, so I try to keep a lid on it. But the truth is, I'm absolutely fascinated by the little blighters. 😛 I get to see a fair number of them in my day to day life, and some really cool and unusual ones.

I recently saw a starbellied orbweaver for the first time, which has an abdomen (the "butt") shaped like large prickles, more like a pineapple. You might not even know it was a spider unless you counted its legs.

I also recently encountered a brown recluse for the first time ever. I'm 95% sure that's what it was, because of certain physical characteristics (like elongated front legs), and its behaviour. Brown recluses are actually pretty skittish, and will choose to leap away from any physical interference, usually biting only if they are physically trapped (i.e. between skin and something else).

The more I learn about spiders, the more I realise that they're pretty misunderstood. 😛 Although I can understand people's fear - I was actually pretty arachnophobic myself for a long time. I think popular culture plays a pretty big role in it (such as the myth about daddy long legs being ultra-venomous, but with fangs too small to bite you - which isn't actually true. This myth likely originated from the fact that daddy long legs can eat spiders that carry latrotoxin, i.e. black and red widows, and so people assumed they must be even MORE poinsonous).

And there I went again. Novel. This is why I try not to talk about them - imagine all that in a conversation with someone who hardly knows you. >_<

 

[arachnid95]

This conversation has taken a happy turn for an arachnophile like me. 😀

 

[Senshi1]

This conversation has taken a happy turn for an arachnophile like me. 😀

I should have guessed from your name - glad I'm not the only one who sees them in a positive light! 😉

 

[Cryptic71]

Also, I believe the spider your talking about may be what's called a Camel Spider (and if so, I don't believe they've ever been known to prey upon humans, hell if anything their probably damn scared of us upright, talking, hairless apes).

Oh no, I wasn't talking about camel spiders. I've seen the infamous picture with the 3 soldiers holding what appears to be a 3 foot long camel spider. Experts revealed that that picture is actually two separate camel spiders holding onto each other, making it look like one big spider.
(source: The discovery channel)

I was talking about an entirely different (possible) species. As I said, it's just a rumor; I just felt like sharing it. After all, we do know more about the moon than we do about our own oceans, and NASA just discovered water on Mars, so anything is possible.

That speech he did up there

I know a bit about spiders too. I'll learn about them all day long (no pictures tho), but I'm still terrified of them. Wasn't always that way. I used to literally PLAY with spiders, until a spider made his nest in my sandbox (was like 4 at the time). I accidentally knocked it down and the spider chased me inside. (must have been pissed) I went to get dad for help, but instead of throwing the spider back into the woods across the street, he decided it'd be funnier to hold it over my face and torment me with it. Been arachnophobic ever since. The spider was almost as big as his hand too.

 

[BlasterMaster]

I went to get dad for help, but instead of throwing the spider back into the woods across the street, he decided it'd be funnier to hold it over my face and torment me with it. Been arachnophobic ever since. The spider was almost as big as his hand too.

A cause for zen revenge if I ever saw one (assuming your Dad isn't dead yet).

 

[Cryptic71]

A cause for zen revenge if I ever saw one (assuming your Dad isn't dead yet).

To be honest, I don't remember it personally. From what I DO know about my dad, he is very selfish and irresponsible, but he's a really fun guy to be around. He's still very much alive, and employed. (He's only like.. 54). He and I still grab dinner sometimes. We have good conversations. I don't hate the guy. I'm not 100% sure that spider story is true. I'm only reciting what my mom's interpretation of the story is, and she doesn't really like my dad very much. Although, she's never lied to me before, and had no reason to do so with the spider story, so I'm kinda torn on the whole revenge thing.

 

[Forben1]

Bees

Was always terrified of being stung. Then I got stung by a wasp in a terrible spot, didn't fear it as much then.

Now my two main fears if loneliness, and pain.

 

[BlasterMaster]

Bees.

Was always terrified of being stung. Then I got stung by a wasp in a terrible spot, didn't fear it as much then.

Now my two main fears if loneliness, and pain.

Well Bees can be dangerous (especially if you disturb a hive of them). My downstairs neighboor was a guy who used to go out into the woods and work on the power lines out there and one time he bopped his head right under a huge nest he didn't see hanging from the power line's box. From what he tells, his co-worker had to get him down, get him into the van, and then travel at nearly a hundred miles per hour down the road to get them both to the nearest hospital before the toxin killed them both.

I find yellow jackets, carpenter bees, and hornets to be a supreme pain in the ass myself. I don't mind bubble bees though. They leave me alone. 😀

 

[TKLVR181]

Bees scare the crap out of me because I was stung by a nest of yellow jackets as a child. I was playing "barrel roll down a hill" and came to a sitting stop literally on TOP of the hole in the ground they'd turned into their hive.

And I was wearing overalls. They got everywhere. D:

Now I'm ok with them because I've come to the understanding that insects don't sting/bite without reason, so if I'm cool with them they're going to be cool with me, for the most part. I still can get antsy around too many, though.

~K

 

[Senshi1]

I once ran, screaming, probably close to half a kilometer across a theme park because a wasp started chasing me.

Now I don't mind them, but back then I was petrified of them.

Did I mention I have an extreme phobia of my teeth breaking and/or falling out? :/ I have nightmares about it frequently. The nightmares replaces "spider" nightmares since I overcame my fear of spiders. Isn't it weird, how your mind seems to HAVE to have something to scare you with when you dream? I wonder what would be next if I got over my broken teeth phobia.

 

[Forben1]

I also feel like this video works well with this thread. Actually, Senshi, it has a mentioning of dreams with teeth.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVxrb0Kbg5U

 

[arachnid95]

Well Bees can be dangerous (especially if you disturb a hive of them). My downstairs neighboor was a guy who used to go out into the woods and work on the power lines out there and one time he bopped his head right under a huge nest he didn't see hanging from the power line's box. From what he tells, his co-worker had to get him down, get him into the van, and then travel at nearly a hundred miles per hour down the road to get them both to the nearest hospital before the toxin killed them both.

I find yellow jackets, carpenter bees, and hornets to be a supreme pain in the ass myself. I don't mind bubble bees though. They leave me alone. 😀

Yeah, I'm pretty cool with bees myself; they're chill. They leave you alone. And if we're totally honest here, they can even be kinda cute in their own little way, all furry and wiggling their butts in the air while they do their thing.

But wasps? ffffffFFFFFFUCK wasps. They are not chill. They do not leave you alone. They only attack you when they have a reason to, true, but as far as they're concerned, existing on this planet with them is reason enough. They're genocidal little maniacs armed with butt-mounted hate daggers.

 

[Senshi1]

I also feel like this video works well with this thread. Actually, Senshi, it has a mentioning of dreams with teeth.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVxrb0Kbg5U

As a Danger Dolan fan myself, I actually came across that video about a week ago, and was pretty surprised to find teeth being mentioned - guess I'm not the only one. 😛

 

[BlasterMaster]

They only attack you when they have a reason to, true, but as far as they're concerned, existing on this planet with them is reason enough.

They're genocidal little maniacs armed with butt-mounted hate daggers.

These quotes should be in a scientific manual for descriptions on Wasps / Hornets. I don't think anyone has ever described them more accurately than that!