Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Explain Which Things Genuinely Terrified Them As As Child

People Explain Which Things Genuinely Terrified Them As As Child
woman covering eyes using braided hair

No one knows where fear really comes from. You can typically trace them back to experiences, things that have actually happened to you, affected you, and are now triggers to your fear zone. As a kid, however, the big, new world can present many strange encounters you have no idea how to comprehend. Suddenly, the loud flushing toilet lives in your nightmares and you have no one else to turn to.

That's what the internet is for.


Reddit user, u/neriahfuller, wanted to hear what monster lurked in your minds when they asked:

As a child, what genuinely terrified you?

A Thought That Never Goes Away

Simpsons Apocalypse GIFGiphy

I would randomly get it into my head that the end of the world was going to happen. Something along the lines of the rapture or some sort of apocalypse.

There'd be nights when I'd stay up and just wait for the end to come because I was somehow so convinced that it was 100% happening.

Pharaohina

We'll Have To Call In The Proper Authorities

Not making it home before the streetlights came on.

Not only was it, like, the main rule of life during childhood, but I was very convinced it was an arrestable offense to be out after the streetlights came on. As in, the streetlights come on but you're still a block and a half from home, so cops instantaneously come out in swarms to surround you and put you in the back of a cop car.

dr239

We've All Thought This, Only Some Of Us Are Afraid Of It

Automatic toilets.

Prototype1_3ch0

Don't let your butt touch the water, it'll suck you in too

Deskbot420

Scared Into A's

I was terrified of teachers.

I ended up being an excellent student because i would pay utmost attention in class, complete everything on time, score top marks..all this because i was terrified of them scolding me.

f-ckitaaaaaaaa

This Math Checks Out

That my dog would get taken by a dog catcher.

In kids movies the dog catcher is always the bad guy!

hurricanedan229

Who Knows What Darkness Lurks In The Hearts Of Potatoes?

bart simpson GIFGiphy

I don't know why but for some reason i was terrified of fried potato skins.

threeofbirds121

Maybe you misunderstood and thought it was fried people skins. Or you were deliberately told that by an older cousin with a cruel sense of humor.

tamsui_tosspot

You're Not Sitting Alone

The dark

Skyler-Walker

I also am scared of the dark but I was told something that changed my view on it. Living alone, I'm not afraid of the dark I'm afraid of something joining me in the dark

Hello_Destiny

Obviously.

Being in any well-lit room, with uncovered windows, after dark. Especially if in unfamiliar neighborhoods. Because of "the snipers" who could easily target me from their perches outside, obviously.

JSanzi

Soon, You'll No Longer Be...

I used to lay in bed at night and realize that one day I would be dead and no longer exist.

majorth0m

And now I'm having an existential crisis

Extraterrestrialy

Who Says You Could See Them?

I was terrified that I would look up and see someone staring at me through a window when I was alone at night

That1asianboy420

That's Right, Kids! You're Not Even Safe In Your Sleep!

season 3 sleeping GIFGiphy

my parents were religious, and told me the prayer "if I should die before I wake, I pray the lord my soul to take." The idea of it horrified me. I didn't want to be accepting of someone taking my soul in my sleep...I refused to say it

wishing_court

My grandma tried to get me to say this prayer when I'd stay the night at her house, and it made me really uncomfortable. Like... You can die in your sleep?! I hadn't considered it before.

H0lyThr0wawayBatman

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

Screenshot of Stephen Colbert
CBS

Stephen Colbert Makes Somber Plea To Americans In Wake Of Charlie Kirk's Death

Late-night host Stephen Colbert had a somber message for Americans as he addressed the assassination of far-right activist Charlie Kirk, stressing that "political violence only leads to more political violence."

Kirk died after an unidentified gunman shot him in the neck as he—ironically enough—mocked victims of gun violence at an event in Utah Valley State University. Kirk's murder has galvanized the far-right, with President Donald Trump and his surrogates claiming without evidence that rhetoric from Democrats is responsible for Kirk's death.

Keep ReadingShow less
a woman sunbathing on rocks.
a person sitting on a towel on a beach
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

People Share The Weirdest Flexes They Heard Someone Say With A Straight Face

It is never attractive to gloat.

Even so, some people can't help but brag, or "flex" as it is sometimes known, about certain accomplishments or attributes.

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

TikToker Hilariously Calls Out Target After Champion Pants Feature Awkwardly-Placed Front Pleat

Sometimes you can just tell when something was designed *for* women, but was not actually designed *by* women.

Take, for instance, the new pleated pants available at Target from the Champion clothing line. While there's nothing wrong with pleated pants and they certainly have a suitable spot in the workplace, the latest rendition of Champion pleated pants are, shall we say, NSFW.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @kaicutch's Instagram video
@kaicutch/Instagram

Woman Flips Her Car After Belting Out Ironic Britney Spears Lyric In Wild Viral Video

Whether we want to admit it or not, we've all had our fair share of carpool karaoke and maybe even imagined our car as our own personal recording studio.

But TikToker and Instagrammer Kaitlynn McCutcheon may have gotten too into her performance of Britney Spears' classic, "Hit Me Baby, One More Time," when the road and her car both said, "Bet."

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from ​@lynnshazeen's TikTok video
@lynnshazeen/TikTok

Woman Goes Viral After Revealing How Her Obsession With Matcha Landed Her In The Hospital

Let's be honest: Too much of anything isn't good for us. It's all about the balance!

But the media and social media trends have taught us that certain things are really good for us, encouraging us to be like the "very mindful and very demure" girls and take care of ourselves. One such example is drinking more matcha, especially if you really like coffee or think you have a caffeine addiction.

Keep ReadingShow less