Oh the joys of being 15 and living with my parents. As soon as I move out I'll have to face the inevitable "ghost" that my new place will have (Any strange noise at the night I will explain as a phantom)

Growing up in a planned-community, I lived by a series of wooded paths and creeks that ran to a small man-made lake. The story was when our town bought land for development that a homeless war veteran named Sam Jones lived in a shack in the woods and refused to leave even after being court-ruled off the land. So when the day came to clear land for the lake, Sam Jones was caught in the explosion and was terribly disfigured. Still living in the woods behind the lake, he had a list of families in our town that he was going to kill.
There was another story that terrified me of a series of interconnected tunnels running underneath all the houses on my street and that not-only did people on our street use them but you could occassionally run into vampires that lived or hid in the tunnels.
I hung out with all older kids so I was pretty much an endless source of entertainment for them.


-Pol

Excuse me if this sounds stupid but what exactly do you mean by a planned community?

It's a place called Columbia, MD. Every last detail is planned-out, and you had to ask permission from the "Columbia Association" to do things to your house. There were rules on the number, size, type, height of what kind of trees or bushes you could plant. Rules on house-siding colors, what color your house could be painted, type of roof... things like that.
Look it up, the actor Ed Norton's grandfather James Rouse was the planner.
Linda Tripp, the lady who had taped conversations with Monica Lewinsky about President Clinton, was from Columbia.
And the cartoon The Boondocks, I believe, is loosely based on Columbia because the creator is from Columbia. The Rouse Company even sold the plans for Columbia to some town in Arizona, so it's an exact-same layout. People from there call it The Bubble because it was meant to be this sort of multi-racial, multi-classed utopia with 300,000 dollar houses across the street from section 8 housing. It's actually a great place to grow up...

Sounds sort of creepy, I wouldn't like living there.

I had the silliest problem with tall, ornate buildings, especially ones with a cupola or belltower like churches. The idea of all of that space inside something used to creep me out. Weird kid. I was also convinced (in a horrified kind of way) that one day dinosaurs would be discovered somewhere in the deepest dark places of the world. Jurassic Park, which came out when I was about 16, subsequently ruined me for years.

It's almost a bit depressing being an adult, because mostly those wild and wonderful fears have faded to be replaced by the inevitable fear of NOT HAVING ENOUGH MONEY (boring). I love reading UM because I get to stoke the irrational fear fire. Reading UM late at night while I'm on my own, well, I can almost believe something spooky will get me, strange noises become much more than they usually are. Usually when I hear strange bangings and something walking across the roof I just say to myself 'oh, it's just a possum or an ibis' (BTW an ibis is a large bird, don't know if you have them in America).

Australia seems to be bereft of strange happenings and weird monstrous beings. All we have is the bunyip, while was lame even in childhood. If you've ever been in the Australian bush, you'd know it's laughable to consider anything creepy being out there (except for backpacker serial killers a la 'Wolf Creek'). On a slightly different note, being it's just after easter, a few years ago the australian powers that be decided that the chocolate easter bunny was too generic and not Australian enough, so they decided to make a chocolate bilby, which is like an overgrown rat. It never really caught on, but they're still producing chocolate bilbys on the suppermarket. Madness. Do you have Cadbury Creme Eggs in America? Yum.

It's funny to see all these posts, I haven't thought about this for awhile. I remember whenever I would run out of the woods at dusk, or up from a dark, desolate basement I would never look behind me, because I was afraid there were demons chasing me, and if they caught me I would be drug down to hell! I would tell my younger brother this, and then I would run away from him as fast as I could; it used to scare the crap outta him!

Those poor yanks have to deal with Hershey. I think they get some cadbury products, like the cream egg, though. Eugh, Hershey is gross. It's liek economy chocolate.

Australian Cadbury chocolate is amazing. The raspberry tripple double decker NEEDS to be released in the UK. Omg. And that thing like a bounty? Russ? Or something...

When I was seven years old we moved from an apt to a house and on my first walk down the poorly lit basement steps my Dad grabbed my feet from under the open staircase for the next eight years I would remember seeing a pair of hands grabbing my ankles whenever I would walk down those stupid steps lol

The Bounty, are you talking about the coconut flakes covered in chocolate thing? Yum. At the moment I'm addicted the dark choc chips you use in cooking, and fruit tingles. Has anyone had fruit tingles? Plus I can't find Steamrollers anymore, you know, the peppermint lifesaver type lolly. Where did they go??????? Also the Muncheros chips that were around about ten years back. I miss them.

As for irrational childhood fears, a question for everyone...who's fears came from tv/movies, who's were inspired by urban legends or scary tales told by family/friends, who's came from real life incident (i.e. real life incidents or crimes they heard about) and who's were completely original, emerging solely from their twisted minds?

Mine were mostly ripped off from tv/movies with a little original tweeking from my mind

I used to be afraid of looking into mirrors at night or in the dark for fear of some kind of monster or ghost thingy popping out. About 6 years or so back, I ended up getting some new bedroom furniture which was covered in mirrors and the fear eventually subsided after a few weeks.

Dolls, especially porcelain ones still creep me out to some extent, it's what I get for watching most of the Chucky movies while I was 8. Stupid older cousins.

At one point while I was about 11 or 12, I ended up reading some crazy book about alien abductions and the MIB conspiracy; it really messed me up for several months. I was so horribly frightened of aliens coming after me that I barely slept, nor did I leave the house much other than to go to school. I also kept a baseball bat and a swiss army knife near me when ever I was home alone, which was a lot because both my parents worked until about 6 or 7pm.
I eventually got over that fear by doing a bit of research into the subject and then realizing how ridiculous some of my fears were.

That's very similar to the technique psychologists call "flooding."

I still get freaked out by illogical stuff...I just..I dunno, I find some stuff creepy and I get paranoid.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!???

Australia has:

The Bunyip (Yeah)
Burrunjor (Tyrannosaurus that lives in the out back)
Yowie (Oz Bigfoot)
Garuage (Another dinosaur creature)
Megalania ( Worlds biggest carnivorous lizard)
Pterodactyls
Megaladon (Super massive shark)
Man-Sized Spiders
Collosal Emu (Said to live in the outback)
40ft Snakes
Giant Crocs
Thylacines
Killer Kangaroo's (Google is handy for this one)
Puma's
Scorpions of Unusual Size
Biting worms in the sand

And the Kulta, supposedly a Brontosaurus-like monster.

OMG nooooo. you've just introduced a new and terrible phobia to me....

I only had one irrational fear as a child. i have a very poor imagination and knew these things were stories from a very early age
However, even though I new it was a made up story, i was always really scared Darth Vader would get me if i went to the toilet during the night.
I had to run to the bathroom and then run back diving right under the 'duvet of protection' which is, of course, totally impregnable to all monsters..
I would then huddle for ages listening for his breathing, ughh! It was not fun...

Fair enough. However, I think the bunyip is the same as a yowie, and I always knew these were fake. Biting worms in the sand, and links to these, I never heard of them? As for the crocs, spiders, snakes, and scorpions, they've always been here, I'm used to them, so not so much of a worry. We do have to watch out for redback spiders, they like to hide under your bikeseat. Kangaroos are a concern, their big feet pack a wallop that will send you flying--but being from Australia, Kangaroos are a bore, I never understood the fascination. And, they're mostly in the middle of Australia, where it's hot and not many people live. Emus, read what I said about Kangaroos. Pumas, we have Pumas?!!! WTF?

One fear I never understood was bats. We have them where I live, you can go out and watch bunches of them flying at night. I never worry that they're going to fly at me because of radar.

Actually, koalas are the one to watch for. We have them in our backyards around here. People are like 'so cute, I gotta hug it and take a photo', then they get scratched to sh*t.

What I meant in my original post is Australia doesn't have the creepy vibe. Now England or America has always held a fascination for me, such a long, interesting history. Those enormous, lush forests. You just know something creepy is hiding out there. Australia don't really have the lush forests. The bush is hot, barren, and dry. Meh. However, for folktales and legends, you can't beat the Aboriginal Dreamtime myths. Look 'em up, they're a good read.

Bad, economy chocolate, go no further than the brand Ricci. Avoid it like the plague, people.

Dude, you did not understand a word of what I just wrote. These are all cryptids, creatures that may or may not exist. Puma's were, though, confirmed by your government in 07 and Yowies and Bunyips are NOT the same at all.

Gosh childhood fears..

I too would be afraid of sleeping on my own at night and would have the whole blanket covering me even if it was stinking hot, sometimes not even an air hole to get cool air I was that afraid and have my legs oin an angle so it looked like there was no one in bed.
I hate this fear of ghosts coming to get me. I think it was ghosts. or robbers or killers or something. i watched alot of crime shows from too young an age and have been petrified ever since!

I still have a fear of spiders (only huntsman, wolf spiders ect) all the big creepy ones we have in australia, I mean give me a bear in my bedroom and i'd be more happy than a spider! I usually check the walls of rooms when I go into them to check and sometimes my bed sheets. I mean the thought of a spider touching me makes me just want to kill myself. I hate it soooo much!!

I also was afraid of death. I became extremely anxious whenever my parents (especiall my mother whom i was closest too and now have no relationship at all with) would leave me. I'd become so petrified that they would die and never come back. I used to throw tantrums so they wouldn't leave. it came to the point where I wouldn't even go to school I was afraid I'd come home and someone would have died.

I've since overcome that. I dont throw tantrums but I am scared about moving out 8 hours away from my dad in case something bad happens I mean I wont throw a tantrum but I'll probably cry for a few days. Death still haunts me to this day.

I think thats about it for childhood fears..

All Hail the duvet of protection... It kept me alive through my childhood....

I can certainly relate to that. I had the same fears well into adolescence and, if the truth be known, at age 66 still prefer a sheet over my head and face as I sleep.



I experienced exactly those same fears! In my case, according to psychiatrists and psychologists alike, it was an early symptom of Obsessive-Compulsive Disordxer (OCD).

Thats what they said about me too, I guess I've grown out of it but I still get extremely anxious. I'm not sure it was ever OCD, pychologists made alot of bogas predictions on me :S

When I was in kindergarten, I thought I was going to explode. I worried about it all day and talked to my mom about it and she cleared it up for me. she said I would only explode if I had a bomb in my clothes, and that it would've already happened. I was so stupid back then, LOL.

What worked for my boys' fears of monsters was making up a "Monster Spray". A cap full of nice smelling perfume, or cologne, or even essential oil and water in a spray bottle. Let your child spray the "Monster Spray" alongside their bed, and around the perimeters of your house outside. Of course tell your child that it's "Monster Spray" beforehand! LOL! But it cured my boys' fears permanently.

For what it's worth!

ValkyrieVoice

I have irrational fears. So please don't feel badly.

I'm deathly afraid of the forest that I currently live in, and dare not venture out into it. I don't like old mirrors either. Something about mirrors... they can't "unreflect" what's been reflected into them. It's as if they "know" things because so much has been reflected into them. Odd, I know.

For what it's worth!

ValkyrieVoice

oh yeah i had a lot of fears as a little boy here a list:

Dark Rooms

Leaf Piles- my aunt told me and my cousin that trolls hid inside of them

there was this old closed down factory and my aunt said they made cheese out of little kids

Storms

mirrors- feels like something is staring back all the time

the woods

dolls- one time i had a dream where barbies stabbed me with a knife

clown- ever since the movie IT

Vampires- movie knight flyer

gingers

pee wee herman

when you're walking down the street at night and you're able to see in the window

There is this crawl space in my house upstairs above my room and you can hear stuff moving around up there

and last but not least sewers- the story behind this is messed up... ok, their is a park right by my house and there is this ravine that is used for sledding and picnics, and at the bottom in the middle
is a sewer storm drain grate. And 5 years ago the cops found and old homless guy with long white hear dead in it, and he feasted on rats.

Taking a jog at night. Clowns still creep me out! I used to be afraid of cats at night.

Mirrors in the day, fine. Mirrors in the dark, a little bit creey. But I try to ignore it, so it doesn't bother me so much. It's more like once a thought jumps into your mind, you can't unring that bell. I knew this guy who had mental problems, and he though demons were in the mirror. How frightening, to honestly believe something like that. At least ours are irrational fears, we know they're not true, they just bug us a little.

My thing about mirrors in the dark was the little girl from The Ring, Samara, was going to pop out of the mirror. I have long, dark hair--so imagine that being reflected in a dark mirror?!?

The Ring got me good for a couple of week after I watched it. "She never sleeps" How do you fight that?

OK, wtf? You're away from your Dad for 8 hours and you start to cry? W/e, I'm not going to pass judgment but...

Anyway I'm terrified of death it is my No.1 fear. I just don't want to die.

there is absolutely no need to be rude. I was a child for pete's sake. why would you say something like that?

Woah, sorry to have caused offense. I am very sorry, I thought you were refering to yourself at present, when clearly you had mean't when you were a child. Very sorry, please do not hold my mistake against me.

The usual fears of something under the bed but you were safe under the covers and if nothing dangled over the edge.

I had an irrational fear of grasshoppers well into my 20s. When I was about 12 we had these huge grasshoppers in our yard about 3 inches long. My sister knew I was scared of them so she would chase me with them and try to throw them on me. One time she was chasing me and I ran in the bathroom and locked the door and she shoved one thru the crack under the door. I stood on the toilet screaming hysterically until one of the neighbors called the cops. I wouldn't get off the toilet to unlock the door because the grasshopper was between me and the door, so they had to break it down. They thought that I was hurt somehow I was making such a ruckas, so the cops called the fire dept and an ambulance came too. So a dozen guys were standing around laughing while I explained it was just a big bad bug. My parents didn't see the humor. We lived in a very small town in an era when everyone was prim and proper, and the story made the weekly newspaper.

When my son was a month old and I was 20, one flew in the window of my car while I was driving with my son in the car. I was so freaked out that I swerved and missed the bridge and drove us into the river and we almost drowned. I was so embarrassed and ashamed to admit what really happened that I lied and said I swerved to miss a kid on a bicycle. This was in the same town as the incident when I was 12, and we still made the front page of weekly newspaper but at least they didn't mention grasshoppers.

Then one day, I'm not sure when it happened, I just suddenly realized they didn't scare me anymore.

When I was really young I thought the Devil lived in the toilet bowl and if I went to the bathroom at night without turning on the light he would grab me and pull me down the hole to Hell. But I was safe if the light was on and I jumped up the second I was done and slammed down the cover real quick. I'm no longer afraid the Devil is in the toilet, but I still occasionally remember that when I get up in the middle of the night.

The Cops came and smashed down the door?!

This is a thread about childhood fears...

Yeah sorry, but things in people's childhood especially bad negative things seem to be sensitive today to even adults.

I used to think a train going by our house(actually down in the valley) was a tiger or something like that XD.And I think my brother was afraid of the doll chucky.I kinda was too actually XD.

My childhood fears were sharks in the bath, and sharks comming out of the floor when I switched off the lights, and sharks on the tv (loved watching them, but couldn't put my feet on the floor when they were on tv.... I still jump onto a chair if I'm channel surfing and come face-to-face with a great white).

I was and for some of these things still am scared of too much

1)Dying- I would be like 6 and stay awake all night thing about death and the possible non existence that follows.

2)Aliens- terrified I would run down the stairs to my room or wait till my brother went too because we had to pass a window. I still keep my eye on the sky.

3)Demons, ghosts- my basement was the worst, one time I did something bad and my dad threatened to make me spend the night down there, I cried until he relented. Basement still makes me nervous.

4)Dark- cant see everything and the unknown is too creepy. Still nervous in the dark.

5)Mirrors at night- probably read too mush about demons and devils in mirrors.

I guess that isnt too much but the fact that im 19 now and can definitely take care of myself in a fight type situation yet am made uneasy by the thought of ghosts or somesuch bugs the hell out of me.

I used to have a recurring dream that king kong or godzilla was walking over our neighbourhood, I was always hidden under my mom and dad's bed, but I could see them squashing houses randomly and wondering if it would be us...

I also used to think that a vampire would come up out of a hole in the skirting board on the stairs.

I also never wanted to be the last one up the stairs, or in the gang of kids walking through the woods, I never wanted to be last and always felt like something would get me if I was.

Been interesting reading this thread.

After watching the movie Jaws... I was afraid to go swimming... in my above ground pool!!!

Valkyrie, that's an absolutely brilliant technique and it's worth a great deal.

I've taught a somewhat similar technique to people suffering from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Clinical Hypochondria.

The room's contaminated by "germs"? Then put a little rubbing alcohol into a spray bottle and give a couple of "spritzes" in the center of the room and imagine the mist filling the chamber and killing the "germs."

It's called fighting magic with magic.

There's a classic short story about exactly this by the pioneering modern science-fiction and fantasy writer Dr. David H. Keller, who was himself a child psychiatrist. I believe the title is "The Thing in the Cellar."

We had one of them... I believe we used it as a Guy a few bonfire-nights ago (I can't remember if they celebrate bonfire night (5th november) in the US, so if you havn't a clue what i'm talking about you'll know why)

That is a good idea.

re: monster spray. I totally agree. The child has, in essence, created the monster--so they also need to 'kill' it. A parent saying, 'oh the monster doesn't really exist' just doesn't cut it.

This wasn't so much a childhood fear but something I would amuse myself with from time to time. An apartment I used to live at was small, so the bathroom had both the shower and the toilet in it. Anyway, my flatmate hung a picture directly across from the toilet. The picture had a cat in the foreground and the cat was looking away into the distance at some birds, so you couldn't see the cat's face. I always thought it would be creepy if I went into the bathroom one day and found the cat staring directly at me!

There wasn't that much that I was afraid of as a child, but when I was about 8 my uncle took me to see a replay of the old 1958 movie The Blob. That terrified the hell out of me. For weeks afterwards I was afraid to go to bed and when I did I had night terrors constantly. Even after a few years I'd have the occasional nightmare where I'd see it coming after me and no matter where I ran or hid it would still find a way to get in. Whenever I'd sleep over at a friend's or relative's house I'd make sure that I knew every escape route just in case it came after me.

That movie really screwed up my childhood.

For anyone who won't let their arms or legs hang off the edge of the bed at night. Below quote from http://paranormal.about.com/library/blstory_march06_05.htm

"Something Under the Bed
by Wil

I thought I was going crazy. After so many years, I found, or should say read, that someone else had been visited. I think I was about 9 or 10 when I was first visited. To give some background to this story, I was living in Oklahoma and was sharing a bedroom with my younger sister. I had stayed up late, it being a Friday and no school. My father told me to make sure that when I went to bed to turn out all the lights. My sister was already in the room asleep. I, being like any other kid back then, turned on all the lights in the rest of the house and made my way through turning lights out. I got upstairs and turned to make sure I hadn't left any on.

I headed to the room and climbed in bed. It might have been maybe 10 to 15 minutes later that I felt something grab my foot from under my bed! The beds were the old wooden bunk beds that had been taken down and butted up together. Just thinking about it still sends shivers through my body. My sister and I had a habit of sleeping like the other. One foot and one arm off the beds. That is when I felt something from under my bed grab my foot and ankle and start pulling me under. I had grabbed the side of my bed for I was halfway under it before I was able to scream for my father to come. I remember never feeling the floor under the bed.

When my dad came into the room, he grabbed me and started pulling me back toward him.... with very little success for the effort, but with the next effort he placed his arms under mine and wrapped his around my chest and pulled really hard and I seemed to fly out from under the bed. My father, to this day, still doesn't want to talk about it, or if he does he just says it was all a bad dream that I was having. But I know and even then knew better."