Childhood Fears

[Michael Z]

I was afraid of hornets, wasps, and bees. I am no longer afraid of bees, but I still fear hornets and wasps a bit.

 

[George1959]

My parents were nominal Protestants, but there was a significant Catholic presence, with a large Catholic Church in the adjoining town where my mother dragged the young me to shop. Nuns could always be seen there walking around, old order nuns in their black head-to-toe habits, never smiling, and looking grim. I was afraid of them; they triggered a “grim reaper” vibe in me…

I was also afraid when driving past cemeteries in my parent’s car, and it really freaked me out when as a child I realized that I had a skeleton inside my body! - - Aieee!

My mother was a scary piece of work, too…

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I had such an old nun "in her black had-to-toe habit" at kindergarten. But she was very nice. The only downside was, that mostly I had to retell her the stories she told us, since I could it best.
My Mom was as a young woman a nurse at a Catholic hospital. There were a lot of nuns working as nurses. One of them always collected the blood during surgeries and 'watered' her plants with it.
A professor at my university once told me that he was - as a Protestant - born in a Catholic hospital and got his first shock while looking into a nun's face.

 

[Medusa]

One of them always collected the blood during surgeries and 'watered' her plants with it.

 

[debodun]

Nuclear war and thunder.

 

[caroln]

Stairs that didn’t have a backer on them. I couldn’t walk up them and finally managed it a few times by clinging to the handrail. I even had a problem walking down them. I still don’t do well on stairs, up or down. Escalators were no joy either.

I'm with you on the escalators. Didn't like them when I was little, don't like them now!

 

[George1959]

The nun told my mother that her plants liked the blood very much and thrived very succesfully.

 

[Bella]

 

[Medusa]

The nun told my mother that her plants liked the blood very much and thrived very succesfully.

Were they Venus Fly Traps?

 

[Medusa]

Nuclear war and thunder.

Did you have the practice drills in school?

 

[debodun]

Did you have the practice drills in school?

I remember one.

 

[Medusa]

I remember one.

We had them (in Los Angeles) periodically, get under the desk, put your hands over your head. You know, that was a childhood fear for you. Sheesh.

 

[debodun]

I don't remember a "duck and cover" scenario, we just left the classroom and lined up against the wall in the hallway.

 

[Medusa]

I don't remember a "duck and cover" scenario, we just left the classroom and lined up against the wall in the hallway.

Ah, ours were quite different.

 

[George1959]

Were they Venus Fly Traps?

Unfortunately I've never asked my mother this question. But I imagine that the iron of the hemoglobin and other components of blood could be very useful for the plants. But what about the smell? I could imagine that at high temperatures the smell of drying blood is not very pleasant.

 

[officerripley]

God, nuclear war, 1 of my grandmothers, my father, my sister, and dogs. I love dogs now.

 

[Trish]

The only thing I can remember worrying about was when my grandmother died. It was probably the first time I became aware that life does not last forever.

 

[Remy]

My dad!

I understand. And that's never a good thing. The effects of it are profound for those of us who didn't have good dads.

 

[fuzzybuddy]

I was a little kid in Massachusetts, which isn't known for tornadoes. And before I saw "The Wizzard of Oz", I used to dream about a tornado coming over the hill in front of my house. I'm not sure why I was afraid of tornadoes, considering I didn't really understand what they were.

 

[mrstime]

As a child I loved going to the pier and jumping from the pier to the beach below. Grandma would sit near where I would land. I'd jump several times then just play on the beach. Then one day I looked down and thought "what if there is a broken glass down there". I never jumped again.
.

 

[Llynn]

I was small when Sir Edmund Hillary climbed Mt. Everest and he was in the papers quite a bit. One story speculated about the Yeti legend and the article contained an illustration of what the artist thought the Yeti looked like. I was living in a logging camp with heavy forests all around us and in the cookhouse I heard loggers saying it was just like the Bigfoot supposed to be in our woods. I started making certain my bedroom drapes were pulled after dark because I was sure one of the beasts would be peeking in at me.