Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Explain Which Irrational Fears They Had As Children That They Never Quite Grew Out Of

People Explain Which Irrational Fears They Had As Children That They Never Quite Grew Out Of
Image by Pezibear from Pixabay

No matter how much therapy I attend there are just some issues from childhood I'll never be fully free from; in particular, crippling fears and specific haunts. And I know I'm not alon. I'm still no fan of the dark and I always give sufficient credence to any and all superstitions, there is no reason to tempt fate; especially since I've made it this far.

I loathe most insects, snakes and anything that resembles a rat. And I actually think those are healthy issues. Some fears are just unshakeable. Do you agree?

Redditor u/Chaelaminsky1990 wanted to hear about details of the past that so many of us just can't seem to outrun, by asking:

What irrational fear did you have as a kid that you thought you'd grow out of but never did?

I grew up in New York. When I was about six, I was walking up the stairs from the train when a rat fell from the street onto my head. I don't remember the rest. Need I say more?

Look Away

Scared Dog GIF by MOODMANGiphy

"Mirrors, I'm always have a thought that I'm going to see something that I shouldn't. lol"

- AmbyrLamps

Deep Blue Sea...

"Sharks in the pool at night. Can't see 'em but I know they're there."

- SingleFunction141

"Came here to say this, but it goes beyond pools. It can be any body of water. Sometimes when I'm in the shower I just start thinking about sharks and have to shower real fast and get the freak out of there."

"Sometimes I get freaked out when I'm not even around water thinking I'm just gonna wake up and realize I've been passed out in the middle of the ocean with a shark about to attack me. Kinda weird. I watched Deep Blue Sea when I was really little and it freaked me out, and I've always blamed it on that."

- gooptygooptygoopta

Can't See

"The dark, I'm 48."

- fishfingerchipbean

"My caution meter goes up. Not like I can't walked around my house in the dark but hearing or watching horror or thriller stories, it's quite rational to be cautious and recheck all the doors are locked."

- Elemental_Titan9

"It's not just 'the dark' for me, I'm fine in the dark outside or in rooms of my house. It's dark in unfamiliar places/rooms."

- fistymcbuttpuncher

From Beneath

"The fear that something under my bed will grab my foot if it hangs off the bed."

- 7CatsInTrenchCoat

"Yo... I specifically store a bunch of stuff under my bed so it is all full up under there specifically so I can know. NOPE NO MONSTERS HIDDING IN THERE. and if they are. They much smaller than me so I could overpower those smurf sized monsters grabbing my feetsies. Not tonight non-existent underbed gnomes. Not tonight."

- Kondrias

Mighty Waters

loud house animation GIF by NickelodeonGiphy

"As a child every time a toilet clogged I would start crying because I thought it was going to overflow, flood the house and we would all drown. Now I don't cry, but the fear is still there."

- Pigeon-named-Beans

I hate toilets. I've been involved in too many floodings. It's like I'm cursed when I go number two. And that under the bed thing, that's real problem.

Entanglements

Jazz Seaweed GIF by The ItchywormsGiphy

"Swimming in the ocean in the sections that have sea weed and are consequently dark."

- NapendaWatermelon

Shut It!

"I absolutely cannot under any circumstances fall asleep if the closet door is open. I've tried so many times. I KNOW there's not demons in there but at the same time like what if there is???"

- lesbian_moose

"I can't sleep with my bedroom door closed. Closet and my en suite bathroom doors HAVE to be closed, but the door to the bedroom HAS to stay open. I blame my being a mom. WhAt If SoMeTHiNg HaPpEnS tO tHe BoY aNd I dOn'T hEaR iT!? He's 11 now and in no risk of SIDS or anything else I panicked about when he was a baby."

- KixStar

KaBoom!

"It took a long time to grow out of but propane tank and torches used to freak me out I thought everytime one was turned on it could possibly explode."

- Boat3000

"Me too! I was probably 8 hanging around in the basement of one of the "older boys". I was helping him with something and he was using a little propane torch."

"Well I guess he didn't tighten the tip onto the propane bottle well enough, propane escaped creating a second flame that went spewing out the side. He freaked out and threw it and we both BOLTED out of the house - his Mom in tow. Luckily a larger fire didn't start but I was quite fearful of those things for a long time. Now I know how to handle them and I can sweat pipes with little anxiety."

- CausticJackwagon

Superstitions...

"I'm 27 and I still smack the light off and run up the stairs like a dog ASAP."

- jrocbb

"I'm 32 and still jump in bed and hide under the blanket for a minute until my eyes adjust. Thankfully I only have to do this at certain relatives houses as I have a light with hanging switch above my bed so I can do it while partially under cover already."

- GMOiscool

Who is there?

"Always checking behind the shower curtain before using the restroom. My dad used it to scare me so much as a kid, that I now get relatively extreme anxiety from a closed shower curtain."

- SpectacularSesame

"Yup I have my own apartment now and only clear shower curtains are allowed lmao. Nothing happened to trigger this fear, except possibly a movie or something where the killer was hiding behind a shower curtain? Idk but at my parent's house I still check under and in anything in my room a killer could be hiding in before I go to sleep so I guess I'm just paranoid. lol"

- dumbbinch99

Let me Poop

steve irwin snakes GIF by BustleGiphy

"A snake swimming through my plumbing lines and biting me in the butt while I'm taking a poop. It went away after a while until I saw a video of this exact scenario happening. Now I will never be able to poop in peace."

- HondaCivicOfDeath69

What did I tell you about snakes? See! And it's wise to always check every corner of the house when you can. You never know.

Want to "know" more? Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again. Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Senator Chris Murphy, President Donald Trump
Facebook.com/Senator Chris Murphy / Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Dem Senator Drops F-Bomb In Fiery Video After Trump Calls For Congressional Democrats To Be Hanged

Connecticut Democratic Senator Chris Murphy said "maybe it's time to pick a f**king side" in response to President Donald Trump's call for a group of congressional Democrats who are military veterans to be executed after they reminded U.S. troops that they must disobey unlawful orders.

Senators Elissa Slotkin (Michigan) and Mark Kelly (Arizona) joined Representatives Chris Deluzio and Chrissy Houlahan (Pennsylvania), Maggie Goodlander (New Hampshire), and Jason Crow (Colorado), all of whom are veterans. In a video message, they noted that the Trump administration is "pitting our uniformed military and intelligence community professionals against American citizens."

Keep ReadingShow less
Two people facing each other resting their hands in their heads accross a table from one another
a man and a woman sitting at a table
Photo by Good Faces on Unsplash

Dating Red Flags People Ignored And Instantly Regretted It

Many of us are taught growing up to give people the benefit of the doubt.

A belief many people adhere to when dating.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot from @prissyxoxo25's Threads post
@prissyxoxo25/Threads

Woman Rejects Boyfriend's Proposal After He Bought $900 Ring From Walmart—And The Internet Has Thoughts

Relationships can dissolve for all kinds of reasons, but a key reason that's become more popular with the prevalence of TikTok and Reddit is not staying with someone who doesn't listen to their partner or prioritize their needs.

Knowing a person's favorite song or how they take their coffee might seem like a mundane thing, but it's an intimate detail that shows that you care about your partner's likes and interests.

Keep ReadingShow less
Dr. Jennifer Tsai; Person holding Christmas lights
@drjenandjuice/TikTok; Peter Dazeley/Getty Images

People With Astigmatism Are Flabbergasted After Realizing What Christmas Lights Look Like To Other People

Sometimes you don't know what you don't know until someone shows it to you in a TikTok video.

For instance, a person might not know about the possibility of having an astigmatism, which is an ocular condition that causes blurriness in vision, and the blurriness worsens with bright, contrasting lights. Blurring taillights at night, especially when it's raining, is a common occurrence among those with astigmatism.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @lookitskateeee's TikTok video
@lookitskateeee/TikTok

Family Goes Viral After Throwing Hilariously Dramatic Funeral For Child's Pacifier

All children grow and develop at different rates. Whether they crawl earlier, walk later, have trouble letting go of the baby bottle, or just cannot get behind the idea of mushed green beans, each child will have a journey all their own.

But an experience that more families than not know is the very real attachment many babies and toddlers develop to their favorite beloved pacifier.

Keep ReadingShow less