Reddit user BlueberryJingle13 asked:
"What is something harmless you were scared of as a child?"
Most of us outgrow those irrational childhood fears, though that doesn't mean they didn't have us in their grips when we were younger.
Here's what freaked Reddit out.
Drains!
drain GIFGiphy"The drain in the bath tub. The tiny whirlpool of water would suck me down with it"
- JAR-man999
"Apparently when I was a toddler my dad told me spiders would come out of the drain if I stayed in the bath after the plug got taken out. I still feel uncomfortable taking the plug out the drain if I'm still in the bath, even now I'm 28"
- ImQuiteRandy
"I seem to remember being a daredevil with that and sticking my finger in it while holding onto the side of the tub to make sure it couldn't actually pull me in."
- doomalgae
"I had a children's book about a baby crocodile that was sucked into the drain and was crying alone in the sewer system because it didn't know how to get back to the zoo and it's parents. Also scared me for a while after reading that."
- More_Example6153
"38 years old and I’m still frightened I’ll get sucked down the drain."
- Arkady2009
Auctions
season 7 GIFGiphy"Fidgeting at a livestock auction and accidentally buying a cow."
- graceamazed
"This one made me lol. This is exactly the brand of anxiety I would have as one-off fears as a kid."
- Triairius
"I went to a house foreclosure auction in my 20s and I had the same concern. I was convinced that I'd make the wrong move and end up buying a house that I couldn't afford."
- UndeadBread
"2000$ to that little kid that scratched his head. SOLD"
- l0u1s11
Sinkhole De Mayo
"I had an irrational fear that a sinkhole would randomly open under me. I would walk around grabbing onto nearby objects just so I'd have something to grab onto when the Earth inevitably tried to consume me."
- DatWeirdo04
"I was scared a hole would open up under me just to swallow me then close up as if nothing happened."
- Theveryshyboy
"Me too!"
"What’s ironic is that I’m 34 years old and moved to a town 2 years ago and there’s been 4 sinkholes already! Like why?!"
- TitusLemonades
"Holy sh*t! I thought that I was the only one with that fear!!!"
- Tricksyknitsy
"I'm not alone. Yaaaay"
- gliitch0xFF
Draft Or Giraffe?
"Giraffes. Not because of what you think. I lost a fair amount of hearing due to a compilation with my tonsils, so when my dad tucked me in at night and said “I’ll close the window, wouldn’t want the draft to get you…” Well, you can assume what I heard."
"I thought there was a rabid giraffe that would step over backyard fences and eat kids if their windows were open."
- SsjAndromeda
"That’s too funny and somewhat wholesome. It was sloths for me. I used to have nightmares of a sloth slowly chasing me. You can never run fast in dreams."
- Strongbad23
"Bro, same f*cking thing. My mum used to say wow the drafts coming from there at a cold dark place on the house and I used to imagine like a giraffe hiding there or an invisible giraffe and it was kinda scary lol"
- notarealpersondw
"I literally had the same fear!! "
"I was in a car when I was told to close the windows so that the draft doesn’t get in and I also heard ‘giraffe’, I then envisioned rabid giraffes trying to break into the car.. I thought I was the only one with this experience!"
- Kovu-and-Dedenne
You Too Will Have A Mullet
"My brother told me someday I too had to get a mullet haircut"
- MuluLizidrummer
"I have a mullet currently. I'd be scared too"
- BlueberryJingle
"Such an older brother thing to say"
- catnmoose
"I mean, mullet families are a thing. I used to see at least a few day when I lived in the midwest. Granted the oldest son usually has a buzzcut."
- 0kokuryu0
Loud Sound Check
scared season 5 GIFGiphy"The THX sound before movies"
- Geezson123
"The audience is now deaf…”
- User Deleted
"Convinced that's why I have tinnitus."
- DillPixels
"Same, little me would run behind the couch and plug my ears. Now I've just learned I have sensitive hearing, and that urge to run and hide when it comes has never left."
- OtaPotato
Vacuums
"When I was really young, like 3 - 5 years old, I thought the vacuum would come to life at night and try to suck out my lungs while I slept."
"So, I insisted that the vacuum be kept in the basement, locked in a closet, because clearly it couldn't climb two whole flights of stairs."
- smokehidesstars
"Imagine you wake up one night and the vacuum is just in the middle of your room LOL"
- BlueberryJingle
"Lol. My sister was terrified of the vacuum as well but it was because one time it caught the edge of her nightgown and I guess she thought it was going to suck her up. She was scared of vacuums until a pretty unreasonable age"
- mercenaryblade17
Surprise Flush
"Automatic flushing toilets in public places."
"Not me, but my 2 daughters when they were young (like 3y-6y). I had to stand next to them with my hand over the sensor so they could escape the stall before the toilet flushed."
- AltyMcSalty
"Loud toilet flushes still scare the crap out of me, even if they aren’t automatic and I’m prepared. I have no idea why. I’m 27, and I still have to sprint from the washroom at once I flush."
"It’s only when I’m alone though for some reason. During shifts when lots of other people are around, I have no issues. I have no explanation for this fear."
- TwiceUponADecember
"As a former daughter who was petrified of auto flush toilets, I want to thank you on their behalf."
- wevegotscience
"Pro tip for if you become a grandparent. Carry a pad of post it notes. Stick one to the sensor so the toilet won't flush unexpectedly."
- Paradisedreamer7
Bald Head
"The bald head of my uncle"
- italoomg
"Bald heads used to freak me out too when I was a kid, they just looked weird to me."
- idratherchangemyold1
"As a teen, I thought going bald would be the worst thing imaginable. Now that I’m 40, lost most of my hair, and shave it down every day, I couldn’t be happier. I love the easiness of having a bald head."
-Every1onRedditisDumb
Aqua Vacuum
Water Satisfying GIF by MaytronicsGiphy"My grandparents robotic pool cleaner 😂"
- minivan2022
"Oh man I can't believe the first comment is one I can actually relate to. I totally forgot about it until reading this. Yeah that 'creepy crawly' thing sliding around the bottom of the pool was unsettling, especially since when in the water at the same time of it you could hear it 'ticking' every second through the water. I remember asking them to pull it out before I went in. This was a fairly brief phase but it happened."
- Chromattix
"Lived in a house for years with a pool vacuum. Many adults are scared of those too lol"
- Triairius
"I actually have an irrational phobia of that thing it's wack"
"Stupid Barracuda/Creepy Crawly pool cleaner it looks so creepy"
- thegoldilocks_zone
"I came here to also say pool cleaner! We had one with two long “tentacles” that sprayed water out of the tips and swirled around the bottom of a pool….like a creepy robot octopus ."
- HAYYme
Do you and Reddit share similar phobias?
Is there something you want to add to the list?
Want to hear about my (completely understandable when you know the backstory) severe distrust of clowns that USED TO BE a childhood phobia?
Let's get into it in the comments.
At the time, I thought a mini-bar in the living room was a signifier of great affluence. Maybe it still is.
Curious to hear about what strangers had to say, Redditor VeryIntrestingPerson asked:
What was the pinnacle of wealth to you as a child?
Generous Grandparents
"grandparents giving you money during holidays."
"My grandma would send us a card on our birthday, with the amount of dollars matching our age. And she'd send one dollar to the one that wasn't having a birthday, so everyone got something. That's a very grandma thing to do."
Fridge Feature
"If I went to a friends place and they had a fridge with an ice dispenser, I automatically assumed they were rich."
"My friends bought a house, and they inherited an ice maker on the fridge that came with it. They put a glass under it to get ice, and out popped a nip of vodka - someone stored their nips in the ice chest to keep them cool!"
– BTRunner
Backyard Bonus
"Having a pool at your house."
"An in-ground pool, not just a crummy above ground one LOL. Now that I live where virtually every house has a pool, I know what a money pit it really is."
Fancy Art Supplies
"Yknow those nice watercolours? Those huge box of unbroken crayons? A whole set of fabercastell colour pencils? That fancy box like pencil case? Pencils that look like pens but are refillable?"
"Yeah those."
"ah yes. the sweet smell of pencils out of their packaging, the feeling of god tier watercolor.. the satisfying-ness of seeing unbroken crayons..."
"i got to feel none of those things as a child tbh.. but it was my DREAM to own them.. alas.. it was 200 ringgit (so like 50 usd.. i know quite cheap in the us.. but in malaysia.. not so much... owo)"
"Anyways, on a brighter note, I actually got a pack of these for my birthday! (I'm a digital artist but have a fascination for these lol)"
– FR1725
Popular Dolls
"American Girl Dolls."
"I got the magazine/catalog in the mail. I would drool over the stuff in there. I always wanted a bunch of stuff from it. My parents never bought it for me."
Big Houses
"Living in a two story house. I was convinced living in a two story house was for the stuff of the ultra rich. Or everyone having their own rooms."
Full Courses
"being allowed to order starters and desserts when we ate out."
– graeuk
"That would be the good life. I remember maybe twice we had ordered some sort of starter, but dessert was really never an option. Usually we didn't even order soda, because it cost too much."
happy scooby doo GIF by Boomerang OfficialGiphyArriving In Style
"Limos. When I imagined getting rich somehow, literally the only thing that changed in my fantasies was that I would ride to school in a limo and eat more junk food."
"I just kind of assumed that all the crazy things I wanted to do as a kid (like deep sea diving and snowboarding) weren't off-limits because they were expensive, but because my parents were boring."
My childhood was rife with embarrassing moments, and I remain grateful that no one was around archiving them for posterity.
But I probably would have found viral fame for improv-dancing on a makeshift stage after unknowingly drinking from a spiked punch bowl at my parents' friends Christmas party. I was seven.
I must say, I did exhibit some serious moves. Too bad there were no smartphones then.
Redditor Trxxi wondered what strangers on the internet might say and asked:
If social media was around in your childhood, what embarrassing moment would you be famous for?
Budding Crooner
"After receiving the CD as a gift, singing the entirety of Boys II Men's 'I'll Make Love To You' on my 8th birthday to my parents, aunt & uncle, and both sets of grandparents - one of which is VERY religious."
"Throw your clothes... on the floor... I'm gonna take my clothes off tooOOooOoOo."
Inspired By 'Coyote Ugly'
"In 5th grade I was in a school musical production where in one song I was the 'boogie woogie reindeer,' and during the song I was supposed to dance. Well, my mom had just showed me the movie Coyote Ugly, so I thought the best course of action was to dance like the girls in that movie. I'm sure there's still a home video out there of the 5th grade boy dancing like a stripper..."
Serious Gamer
"Pooping on the floor between arcade games at age seven so I wouldn't lose my place in line to play 'Gauntlet.' I lost my place in line."
frustrated video games GIF by FurryheadGiphyWrong Dad
"I was at the airport. Hadn't seen my dad since I got back. Saw a guy with a blazer like my dad's. Jumped onto this random stranger's back as he's looking for his luggage. He must've been so confused!"
Everyone's A Grandpa
"As a toddler I used to call everyone over the age of about 30 'Grandpa'. Irrespective of gender, too. It was an equal opportunities grandpa."
Not My Dad
"I once fell asleep in an airport chair (i was little and a bit of a contortionist so i found a way to be comfy) but my neck was hurting... in my sleepy/blurry eyed state i just assumed that the man in the blue blazer sitting next to me was my dad and rested my head on his shoulder for support. 2 seconds after i close my eyes again my head drops suddenly as the guy high tails it away from his seat. Not my dad..."
Hurt Pride
"Trying to impress my crush by showing him how high I could kick. I slipped and broke my wrist."
Running Out Of Gas
"I sh*t myself as a 6 year old girl at the mall."
"I farted in the shoe store, and my sister thought it was absolutely hilarious. 'Again!' she exclaimed as I forced a follow-up fart out. In complete hysterics now, 'Again!' she cackled. Another fart. She was laughing so hard she was nearly in tears. 'Again!!!!!!'"
"Although I no longer had any gas, I pushed as hard as I could, determined to make my sister laugh even harder."
"Then, a moment too late, I noticed I was sh**tng myself."
"I can only imagine my sister would have been filming on her iPhone, had they been available in the 90s."
– pryjar
Bloody Spit
"Ohhh I've got a good one."
"I was 7 years old and my parents were hosting a family and friends gathering at home. I mostly stayed out of the way and played videogames in the living room and adults would ask me what I was playing and whatever. It was nice."
"A few hours into the party I wanted some soda. I go to the fridge and see one of those little ice breaking hammers and proceed to stick my tongue to it like the cartoons did to have a laugh. I pulled it off immediately and there was blood everywhere."
"I ran out crying with my bloody tongue out to the absolute horror of every single adult. Now, you'd think this would be the viral moment, but no."
"A family friend that was a Doctor was there and he came over to me, saw my tongue and told me 'It's fine, I just need you to spit out some blood so I can get a better look.'"
"I proceeded to spit my mouthful of blood just straight to his face. Every single person that saw it lost their sh*t laughing. Even the doctor."