There are loads of things that scared us as kids that seem to be timeless childhood fears, things that generations past and future have been and will be afraid of too. Some of these are just childhood fears that we all grow out of, while other fears may stay with us into adulthood. Here are 7 things that scared us as kids (and may still scare some of us to this day).
The idea of there being monsters, or something else we found scary, in the closet is one of the most common things that scared us as kids. It’s also one fear that most people grow out of, because it’s pretty irrational. We know now that once we’ve looked inside and can’t see anything, it’s empty.
Was anyone else scared of their hands or feet hanging off the side of the bed in case something grabbed them? A lot of children get their parents to check under the bed before they will go to sleep, just in case. Like the closet, it’s something that most people will grow out of, although these fears can be renewed easily enough by watching a few horror movies.
Being scared of quicksand is certainly a more rational fear, but what usually separates an adult’s and a child’s fear of quicksand is that an adult will be scared if they find themselves in or near it, whereas children can be scared to walk on any sand just in case it’s quicksand. I remember making sure it was safe by walking on my tippy toes.
Like quicksand, there’s nothing silly about being scared of lava, but once you grow up you understand it’s not usually something you have to be on the lookout for each day. Unless you live close to an active volcano, you probably don’t think about lava at all.
Did you ever make your parents wait until you were out the bath before they pulled out the plug, just in case you were sucked down the drain? The funny noise the water makes when it’s going down makes the drain seem even scarier.
Most people are scared by the thought of being attacked by piranhas and sharks, but I remember a lot of children being afraid of going into the sea at the beach or even into swimming pools for fear of being eaten by piranhas or a shark. Films like Jaws and Piranha didn’t exactly help the situation, either.
Last but not least is one of the most common childhood fears: the dark. Children have probably been afraid of the dark since forever and will no doubt continue to be scared by it. In reality, it’s not the dark but the things that we can’t see hiding in the dark that are so scary, which is why most adults will still be a bit scared of the dark, at least in certain situations.
These are just 7 things that scared us as kids but there are probably many more. It would be interesting to fast forward and see if children in 100 years time still have the same fears as we did. How many of these were you scared of as a child, or what else terrified you?