There’s an iconic picture of a shark at the bottom of a swimming pool that I’ve pictured many times but Jaws didn’t come out until I was older so I can’t call that a childhood fear.
I grew up in the city so there were lots of opportunities to take elevators and escalators. I know many people who’ve been traumatized by elevators. I’ve also known many who were stuck in elevators and to this day will take the stairs.
For me it was always escalators. As a little kid I would always picture the ride on the escalator ending with the thing chopping your feet off at your ankles. To this day I get pins and needles in my ankles expecting my feet to be amputated while taking an escalator.
It’s an irrational fear and it’s distracting when you’re trying to have a conversation with someone and have to step onto an escalator but I think that fear will always be there, just under the surface.
Such are childhood fears.
Got any?
