One of the TV talk shows I was watching recently discussed fears. The comment was made that we outgrow most childhood fears, but some remain.
Fear of the dark is a common one when you are young. I remember a night light solved that problem for me. My bedroom door was left open, and there was just enough light from the hallway to put aside my fears.
I always thought that some kind of monster would come out of the attic door and into my parents’ bedroom. That fear went away because our attic was a favorite play spot for me and my friends on a rainy day. The crib and bassinet that had been used for me were perfect places to put our dolls as we played with them.
Moving on to school days, there is often a fear of being away from home and a fear that the other kids won’t like us as we attempt to make new friends.
Fear of tests in school can make for a sleepless night before exams.
Standing up in front of classmates to give a book report or talk about an assigned topic can cause sweaty palms for sure. I often watch local high school graduations on PEG TV and am amazed at how relaxed the students look as they give their speeches.
If I thought standing up in front of classmates was difficult, I found real fear when another classmate and I had to get up on stage and give a short introductory speech in front of parents and guests for high school awards night. Fortunately for me, my friend was even more nervous than I was. I didn’t have much time to worry about me because I was too busy calming her down.
Fear stood in the way of getting my license until my senior year in college. I really didn‘t have a choice by then, as I needed to drive to Proctor High School for student teaching. I told the instructor that I wasn’t ready for the first test he had arranged for me. He gave me a couple more lessons and instilled confidence in me that I could pass, and I did. I must confess that I haven’t parallel parked since then, and that was 60 years ago!!!
My mother was afraid of thunderstorms and high winds. My father would be sitting on our back porch watching the lightning, and my mother would be sprinkling holy water throughout our house. I came out “in the middle” of those mindsets. I don’t watch the storms from our porch, but I don’t sprinkle holy water on them either. I just turn off the TV and computer and wait for the storm to be over!
I didn’t know I was afraid of heights until I won tickets to a tennis event at Stratton in the ‘80s. Our seats were up near the top. I was OK climbing up, but once I was seated, there was a feeling of panic about how I would get back down. We took a break between matches, and I went down the steps behind my husband so all I would have to look at was his back. I never returned to our seats and watched the remainder of the matches standing on the handicap ramp. Fortunately, nobody told me to get off it!
An adult fear came to me when my husband, Peter, and I were out fishing on Crystal Lake in Barton, Vermont. The wind came up quickly and pushed our boat around like it was a toy! Fortunately, it pushed us to shore near the boat access. We got out and pulled the boat along the shoreline to the parking area. My eyes were glued to the skyline after that experience and if there was more than a breeze I wanted “out of that boat”!
My cousin Betty and I have two common fears—flying and elevators. Neither of us has even been in a plane. However, we have no choice but to take an elevator at times. When we are together in one, we keep our fingers crossed that it won’t get stuck. I kid her that our first plane ride will probably be in a “Medevac” plane that is taking us to a hospital, and we will be too sick to care!
Unfortunately, fears will always be a part of everyone’s life. Let’s do the best we can to conquer the irrational ones!
