80s Childhood Fears 😬

[@kellibrown3859]

As an eighties kid I remember all of these fears. One thing I remember being specifically emphasized when I was in school was “stop drop and roll”. That made me think that clothes catching on fire would be a common occurrence.

[@Mama_Bear524]

Oh ya! 😂

[@lydia4127]

Same here. That video just brought back so many memories of little fears... most weren't things I ever told anyone, just stuff it would roll through my head as a kid

[@blendedchaitea645]

Once at a Halloween party a friend backed her costume into a candle and actually was on fire. Stop drop and roll came in handy for the first time!

[@likeablecloud2454]

Idk about you but these were similar fears to what I had back in 2012... Anyone born after 2010 is a different sorry as usually internet and modern tech wasn't good enough back then so most of us used the same old tech It was around 2014 that changed though.

[@elizabethbowie9753]

@@blendedchaitea645 yeah, bcz we didn't have led lites back then!!!

[@michellem9444]

Two more for the list: poisoned Halloween candy, and if you make faces, your face will freeze like that. I knew someone that had crossed eyes as a kid, so that second one REALLY scared me! I don't think I ever made a face as a kid because I believed that sooooo much!

[@dragonweyr44]

Razor blades in the apples

[@crawleyr4919]

As we now are dealing with fentanyl that looks like skittles

[@thebestestoneever]

Yes!! Both of those were terrifying

[@franceskoz]

I heard razor blades in Hallowe'en candy!

[@m_n_a_b]

YES!!!

[@paolac6989]

😂 so true , swallowing gum was my fear as a kid, cause it would stay in my stomach for 7 years 😅

[@average13]

Yes!! I was terrified of swallowing gum! 😂

[@paolac6989]

@@average13 🤣

[@holdernessfamilylaughs]

But how did we all know it was 7 years?

[@paolac6989]

@@holdernessfamilylaughs Haha! Yes why 7 years ? 😄

[@paolac6989]

@@JasonShoots yes! I had a little porcelain cat that said “gum saver”. I had forgotten about that! 😆

[@donnasmith4762]

My 50 and 45 year old daughters have just recently reminded me of the “don’t talk on the phone during a thunderstorm (electrocution)” and “ take your bath before the thunderstorm and lightning hits (also electrocution)” rules. So I guess lightening in the house was a fear.

[@sarahkgoldstein]

Yes! Basically don’t do anything during a thunderstorm.

[@LESBIANANDAUTISTIC]

Oh I'm still scared of that! I have an iPhone and a cordless landline but Mum has a phone with a cord. The moment I see a thundercloud or lightning or hear a rumble I say "oh, the weather! I have to hang up!" Because I don't want anything to happen to Mum. I wish the facility where she lives would give her a*cordless* landline!

[@MsGenXodus]

My younger brother got electrocuted during a thunderstorm but he was holding the fridge handle, not the phone. My dad installed a lightning rod the next day. He was fine, and back to being an annoying little brother within the hour.

[@bethgramkow5225]

In the early 90s we turned off the computer to lol

[@mokie2250]

Are those unrealistic fears? I would still assume those are good ideas haha but maybe that's just leftover 8-year-old logic?

[@piiinkDeluxe]

Grew up in the early 90s and those are still pretty accurate. 😄 I grew up in Germany and we had an ad where a mom with children were standing outside a prison wall and singing "Happy Birthday" to the dad who was in prison because he illegally copied movies lmao

[@JanineStoryteller]

😂😂😅 oh boy!

[@jawjagrrl]

The Germans always know how to work the angst!

[@awilliams.6718]

My face hurts from laughing at this comment 😂

[@btetschner]

Hahahaha!

[@piiinkDeluxe]

I dug into youtube and found it in case anyone is interested: kzbin.info/www/bejne/i2erZZysZs6Chbc I forgot that part of the joke is that the children were basically screaming the song. 😆😂😂😅

[@toshawhatareyoudoing6410]

I still get a little anxious when I reach the top of the escalator. The step off timing MUST be perfect. Also, the quick sand was a legit fear.

[@softtacoqueen]

Right.... Because escalators can still totally suck & eat you. I would tap the sand with my foot before stepping in it lol

[@sigynlaufeyson3631]

Me too!

[@piiinkDeluxe]

Life hack: you can also just stand on your heels, ergo lift the front of your (front) foot, before you reach the very end. As soon as you feel that little metal part you slightly lean forward by putting the weight onto the front of your feet (if you do it with both feet) or if you only do it with your front foot, you can smoothly step off. Even if you only lift the front of your feet and don't do anything, the escalator will just let you slide smoothly onto that metal exit part. I tried it. Made me way less stressed about that exit because i don't have to time it, i can just react as soon as i feel it.

[@TheCoolCookieKitchen]

I am so glad we are united misinformed about the interior lights on vehicles… my husband laughed at me… but I’m seeing so many others online taught the same thing!

[@holdernessfamilylaughs]

Oh it was a real thing.

[@Mama_Bear524]

I still feel weird in my own car putting them on 😂

[@GaryRoseCO]

As an adult, I'm not sure if it is legal/safe to turn on a light in the car while someone is driving it. We were always told that was illegal as kids and I could see how it could make it harder to see to drive, if the light is on inside the car while it is being driven.

[@cristinl8555]

And I continue to perpetuate the myth by telling my kids the same thing

[@zadieellie]

As a 13 year old, MY parents told me this. Learned from their parents I guess😂

[@gkennedy2998]

Childhood fear: my "permanent record". If I ever did anything bad, it would be etched onto my "permanent record" forever. The police would shun me. No one would be my friend. I would be a pariah. "Permanent record" *shivers*

[@btetschner]

Good one! Ironically they hardly put anything on a permanent record. I tried to find the date I graduated from elementary school and they didn't have it recorded!

[@cynthiaholland13]

Oh my goodness, yes!

[@earthlingYT]

That was just in the NY Times crossword!

[@serenitypalmer490]

This one had me in hysterics more times than I can count.

[@gret1234]

As an 80s child I totally remember all of these fears 😂 (especially quicksand…. And the escalator)

[@holdernessfamilylaughs]

Really thought quicksand was going to be a bigger problem

[@ronwaters478]

@@holdernessfamilylaughs - Must've been a Florida thing. No quicksand in NJ. You weren't afraid of alligators ?

[@viniciusgmachado1204]

@@holdernessfamilylaughs I think all the fears you described still exist today.

[@heathrusty]

I read about someone in the news caught in quicksand here in Utah a few years back. Totally different than my childhood fear of it. They didn't slowly sink further and further in until only their head was sticking out. It was in a river and the grip on their foot was just so intense that they could not remove it themselves. It took several search and rescue to get them loose and they suffered from hypothermia from being in the water so long. But it's not one of my fears anymore because I don't hike through water, or really at all. 😂

[@missmayflower]

As a 50s child, I thought the quicksand thing was only from those old cowboy movies.

[@blueschick99]

I actually did get stuck in quicksand in around 1991-92. I was in college and on a camping trip in FL. My friend and I got stuck in it and while we were terrified and sinking more with every step, we were also laughing hysterically because…seriously?!? One of my favorite memories! Lol

[@btetschner]

Was it not very deep?

[@LaceysFuntime]

@@btetschner I don’t know, we were able to make our way out of it after sinking up to about our knees. It was definitely deeper than that though.

[@LaceysFuntime]

Just realized I replied from my daughter’s account.

[@btetschner]

@@LaceysFuntime You are a survivor lol

[@flowersafeheart]

Oh my gosh!!

[@juliabuzard1786]

We always told our kids they had to be inside before the street lights came on. My now 28 year old daughter recently told me they thought that was a law and that the police would come pick them up if they were outside when the lights came on. 😂 We never told them that, but they were always inside on time!😊

[@Mama_Bear524]

Haha they spread the rumour amongst themselves. Well it worked!

[@mizfofo8297]

My mother told us there was a law that children had to sleep until 8 am on Saturday mornings and if we woke up earlier we had to stay in bed until it was 8:00. We were gullible and totally believed it for years.

[@bonniebixler9862]

Along the same lines, we told our kids they had to buckle up before I'd start the car. They grew up thinking the car literally would not start if we were unbuckled.

[@moniquetroth]

@@bonniebixler9862 I actually DID have a car that wouldn't start if the driver's seatbelt wasn't buckled. Well, it would turn on, but the gear shaft wouldn't move. That was in.... '92, I think.

[@kristysingletary9432]

Lol yes! Describes my childhood perfectly. You're missing the one about bathing or sitting on a toilet during a thunderstorm because you'd get struck by lightning. Also fears of getting kidnapped by strangers and being on a milk carton. Answering the phone when you're home alone because the caller was a kidnapper/burglar and they would simply know your parents weren't home and come break in your house.

[@erikavaleries]

Atari Pitfall was full of quicksand & snake pits! Phew. I was also ready to "just say no to drugs!" 🤣

[@tinaperez7393]

Yes!

[@maryelizabeth2751]

Yes! They fry your brain!

[@shebyt9327]

The ticking sound from the theme of 60 Minutes. My father watched it every Sunday. It always gave me dread as a kid because it meant school was the next day. Even if I hear it now as an adult I get a moment of panic.

[@daniellooney8878]

I thought Ninja's would be a much bigger problem than they turned out to be.

[@tinaperez7393]

OMG! Ninjas! Yes! 😂😂😂

[@erikavaleries]

Omg yes!!!!! Ninjas everywhere in the 80s kid media

[@kendahorn281]

😂😂😂 ☠️

[@kristenhuffbramell7893]

Learning about stop, drop, and rolls, I thought being on fire would be something I would encounter in my adult life frequently

[@bradfirestone533]

We had a finished basement and I would spend alot of time down there. But when I shut off the lights to come upstairs, I ran for my life because I was convinced the boogeyman would come out and kill me.

[@tinaperez7393]

EXACTLY the same here! I wonder where that idea came from. Apparently the bogeyman needs the dark to exist! 😂

[@catly1315]

How about being in the basement when the power goes out during a storm? Kids trampling each other in a panic to get up the stairs! 😂 Easy to laugh about now

[@Mama_Bear524]

Same!!! So fast!!! 😂

[@pamela5250]

I’d be fine leaving the basement but I’d Sprint down the hall to my bedroom thinking someone was watching my through the windows. Kinda like Scream before it was a thing lol.

[@grace7701]

Anyone remember an old Disney movie called Mr Boogedy (not sure hiw it's spelled) but I both loved that movie and was afraid of it.

[@Krista_Rose7]

I've never watched anything more accurate. I hope there's a part two.

[@btetschner]

I second that.

[@rmusso95]

They need to cover Jaws. Grew up on Lake Huron. Fresh water sharks? Of course not, but to a young child, I wasn't so easily convinced...

[@btetschner]

@@rmusso95 Same here!

[@eskimberly7424]

@@rmusso95 Sharks - totally a fear…except that I grew up in Nebraska.

[@JoeHusosky]

In the early 80s we had double decker VCRs going coping tapes I borrowed from the video store I worked at and the FBI knocks on the door 🤣. They were surprised when we wouldn't let them in and instead to talk to them on the front porch. A friend was getting a new security clearance and they were doing background checks, not there for the copy fest going on inside 🙂

[@itsjusMe2]

🤣 That's HILARIOUS!!!!

[@Mama_Bear524]

Omg 😂. I would’ve been terrified!

[@JoeHusosky]

@@Mama_Bear524 Ya, we were ready to poop our pants. We were 18 could see the men in black with the crown vic out the window.

[@margaretImhappy]

😂😂 we really all thought the fbi cared about our movie copies

[@amusingintonations]

LOL! I would've been scared too cause I also copied movies we rented.

[@4enochs]

I can't believe you didn't include getting stuck in a refrigerator! I thought Punky Brewster taught us all about that danger!

[@btetschner]

I remember that one!

[@seg112380]

Yes, I definitely remember that one! Though that was more of a fear that the adults projected onto us. Even as a little kid I remember thinking "I am not stupid enough to get into a refrigerator, Mom."

[@btetschner]

@@seg112380 I think some kid, it was either in the 80s or 90s, did die after hiding in a refrigerator for hide and seek. Some kids don't have much common sense.

[@seg112380]

@@btetschner yes you’re right, it did actually happen at least once. I knew that even as a kid. I just didn’t think I would ever encounter the same scenario in my own life.

[@btetschner]

@@seg112380 Some kids have common sense, and some have none at all. Street smart kids would never climb into a refrigerator and hide. Do you remember Satanic Panic?

[@maryo.paddock8093]

Quick sand was also a 70s childhood fear. Also: Lava Earthquakes (My Parents watched a lot of disaster movies) And a big one--Nuclear bombs. I remember them having drills and having us hide under our desks. Even as a seven year old, I remember thinking "Wow. This desk must be a lot stronger than it looks."

[@lefthandedclogger]

Grew up doing earthquake drills in school (lived near a fault line) where we would hide under our desks. Makes more sense but man did we trust in the sturdiness of those desks!

[@encourageandrepeat8375]

We can blame Gilligan's Island for a lot of it!

[@NancyTodd]

We were hiding under our desks in the 50s as well-yes, I am that old

[@felisfelidae6113]

I remember hiding under our desks & thinking, how is this going to prevent radiation?

[@felisfelidae6113]

@@NancyTodd It was still done in the late ‘70s.

[@rook7717]

Were my cousins and I the only ones afraid that Jaws would attack from every water source? My cousin needed someone to go in the bathroom with her bc she thought he would come out of the toilet. 🤣

[@adria89]

I stopped taking bubble baths because of that movie 😂 I had to see the bottom of the tub to be sure it was safe. My dad bought me a rubber shark to help? 😂🤣

[@margaretImhappy]

I live in So Cal and that movie kept me from the ocean, river, lakes, etc for around 40 years 😂😂

[@margaretImhappy]

I even have a friend who won’t watch the movie to this day! at 50+ yrs old!! I tried to say the graphics are so antiquated it’s laughable, but nope, he won’t watch it. 😅

[@ianjennings9698]

I remember seeing this old movie. Where I start to fear that a snake🐍 would come up inside the toilet🚽. While I sitting on it😰. I admit that there were times. I would get up multiple times to check especially if I heard any kinda hissing noise in the bathroom.

[@kjw79]

I kept a lookout at all times in the pool! So scary as a kid.

[@ShawnRavenfire]

I remember there was a trend in the 80s of TV specials and docudramas about people being abducted by UFOs. Somehow, the chances of being abducted seemed a lot higher. Anyone else remember this?

[@holdernessfamilylaughs]

Yes, so many 20/20 specials on this.

[@angelagenx6629]

Yes! I just commented about the same exact thing! Thank you Unsolved Mysteries😂

[@louisianarainwater]

👽💚👽

[@ShawnRavenfire]

Oh, and let's not forget the Halloween candy! Have to check that stuff for razor blades!

[@whodey2112]

Yes. My friends and I always checked out the UFO, Loch Ness monster, Bigfoot books at the library.

[@JenniferA2027]

My hubby says as a kid he was afraid if he ate pop rocks followed by drinking soda his stomach would explode! 💥💣

[@Mama_Bear524]

We were told this! I don’t remember who I heard it from but it was a legit fear! 😂

[@Joy21090]

Supposedly that is how Mikey ("He won't eat it. He hates everything.") died. At least according to the lore of my youth. For all I know, Mikey may still be alive and well.

[@earthlingYT]

I've heard that he is. And there's a video...

[@kay_o5868]

I'm embarrassed to say we still have that "law tag" on all of our mattresses 😄

[@holdernessfamilylaughs]

Better than living off the grid.

[@erikavaleries]

OMMMMGG

[@piiinkDeluxe]

What kind of tag is it? (I'm not from the US so I've never seen it)

[@westernmasswonderwoman3326]

Omg, me too...thought I was the only one!!!😹

[@ThePaperAlchemist314]

I recently went rogue. I took the tags off. I now look over my shoulder wondering when They will show up.

[@debbielouisepeters]

Every full-sized van that we saw driving around were Kidnappers!!😂

[@BrickbyBrick4U]

So accurate! Also the taking a bath or shower during a storm fear of lightning coming through. Worse yet, toys or dolls coming to life. Think Chucky.

[@average13]

According to Google, the shower thing is true.

[@ShawnRavenfire]

Oh, I remember that one! My mother would always tell me to avoid the shower when there was a storm. Also, touching anything metal during a lightning storm.

[@AngeliqueStevens]

My fear of toys and dolls coming to life came after watching "Poltergeist"

[@laurab1887]

Same with the telephone. Never be on the telephone during a storm.

[@peterschmidt6726]

Taking a shower during a storm is a REAL danger ;)

[@joyannwesson]

😂 these are so funny, because it's true.. 😂 my mom used to tell me when camping. If I kept poking at the fire, I would pee the bed. If you make fun of someone, your kid is going to look just like the person you made fun of. If you sit too close to the TV, you will go blind.

[@lovetolovefairytales]

Oh my gosh, THE SITTING TOO CLOSE TO THE TV FEAR! I'd forgotten all about that one! 😂

[@meganofsherwood3665]

​@@lovetolovefairytalesOHMYGOSH, YES!

[@maryelizabeth2751]

Oh yeah I forgot about the tv damaging your eyes!

[@earthlingYT]

And now we stare at computer screens all day and most people get cataract surgery!!!

[@Daydream_Believer63]

There seemed to be so many instances in tv shows and movies that I watched as a child where elevators randomly stopped working and people got stuck. Elevators still make me nervous to this day.

[@dragonweyr44]

Getting stuck wasn't the problem so much as plummeting to your death But I just saw a story on the news of someone stuck in an elevator for 3 days

[@thegracklepeck]

I was always afraid it would plummet out from under me

[@JanineStoryteller]

I literally had to get over my fear when my 2 year old wanted to ride down the escalator...

[@craftykat]

I used to be afraid on Elevators too, until Grey's Anatomy, lol. Now they have a different meaning. 🤣

[@meganofsherwood3665]

Elevator doors!! When I was little (like, 3 or 4) I saw what must have been an ad on TV where the gimick involved a man getting stuck in the doors with his arm and head and half a leg sticking out. I was terrified of elevator doors until I was 10 or 11, when someone finally explained to me that the doors are set to open up if something bumps them. Interesting times...

[@angelagenx6629]

Thanks to Robert Stack and Unsolved Mysteries, I was scared of everything! I thought aliens were going to come through my window and abduct me 😂.

[@katannep7798]

Right! That and Rescue 911 terrified me!

[@btetschner]

Great user name! That was such a great show.

[@amyhemenway4106]

I loved Robert Stack and Unsolved Mysteries! Still scares the hell out of me! I too thought I’d encounter more quicksand in my life. 😂

[@louisianarainwater]

👽💚👽

[@StephanieBennion]

@@katannep7798 Oh my gosh yes! I have never forgotten certain episodes that have scarred me to this day.

[@trinaq]

I was always petrified of getting my shoelaces caught in the escalator, and being stuck there indefinitely. I love the catchy "80's Childhood Fears!" theme music! 🎶😍

[@holdernessfamilylaughs]

Thanks for being here :)

[@dragonweyr44]

I still remember the cartoons of characters skin being ripped off their bodies on the escalators and thought that that would happen to me

[@Machtyn]

Unfortunately, escalator accidents do happen. It's uncommon, but it is something to be aware of.

[@lf4061]

There was a little girl who’s foot was pulled into where the escalator goes back down into the floor, she did not make it, shock, blood loss, et. Also heard on news several others who got caught somewhere on escalator or fell and were seriously injured. So, not such a silly fear, and I wish parents would be more careful of their children on them. I saw many children doing dangerous things on an escalator out of curiosity a few days ago at an public Aquarium, made me very nervous and aggravated with so many unwatchful and careless parents. Children are a gift and a treasure.

[@kdk38]

Plus the hand in the moving railing on the escalator.

[@Someone-ze6fn]

Our family had a thing where if you weren’t fully bundled up on a cold day, you were absolutely going to end up catching a cold or catching some sort of sickness!

[@serenitypalmer490]

Or going to bed with wet hair.

[@geneseo29]

Haha 💯 to the quicksand!!! I’m from New England, and I swear we were taught repeatedly how important it is not to struggle WHEN you encounter it, because you’ll just sink faster! I was also terrified at night that if my toes were hanging out from the sheet in bed, the protective barrier was gone and the monster under my bed had clear access. It could be 95° at night, and I still had to be under a blanket.

[@pfcampos7041]

Yeah sticking a toe out my blanket was definitely one.

[@tinaperez7393]

Yes! After seeing a vampire mystery movie (for kids!) on tv as 6 year old, my baby blanket was my protective talisman that I (loosely) wrapped around my neck EVERY night after that. I was worried about possible self strangling in the night but not as much as the vampire who clearly could rise up any night at midnight in the gap between my bed and the wall. And then the ghost from the Scooby Doo episode that showed up in the window at night when lightning struck. And the witch in the closet.... This went in for years! 😂😂😂

[@Mama_Bear524]

Ya I’m 41 and just hung my toes the other night and was legit worried 😂. The covers will protect you!

[@blair7764]

I’m 43 and still get creep out of my feet are out of the covers!

[@ardenroot9828]

I'm 68, and to this day, like to be covered to sleep, even for just a nap. The '60s Saturday morning horror movies - in particular, the Killer Shrews - can be thanked for making me fear what was under the bed. Why did we think monsters were under the bed and that covers would protect us? Later, it was Hitchcock's The Birds. I was convinced that birds had gotten through the roof and were in my closet, waiting to attack me, like Tippy Hedron. Interesting that, no matter the age, we all seem to have experienced the same fears.

[@ninachand2075]

The light in the car...dad made sure we were NEVER going to turn it on! Also the theme song from Unsolved Mysteries still scares me, used to think everyone driving real slow was out to get us friends when we were walking home...

[@kjw79]

Unsolved Mysteries had me shook! Dad was hard of hearing so he’d crank the volume and I couldn’t escape the music and creepy stories lol

[@ninachand2075]

@@kjw79 😱 even today that song gets to me!

[@LisaMac84]

Swallowing gum, quicksand and the Bermuda triangle were some of my fears!

[@btetschner]

This was one of my topics that they made into a video (for this channel): kzbin.info/www/bejne/hIrYpWmjethqm6c

[@crystalsorensen9246]

Yes! The Bermuda Triangle!!

[@btetschner]

@@crystalsorensen9246 The video above is a Decoding the Unknown about the Bermuda Triangle.

[@Guinandal]

How about whirlpools?

[@earthlingYT]

Ya! And now people actually go into the Bermuda triangle, on purpose. They do come out alive, though. Maybe the monster was caught. 😂

[@cynlev]

The mattress/pillow labels and watermelon seeds were REAL for me back then (now?)! Great to see Penn rocking that Members Only jacket! 😃

[@dalewelch3191]

There was a pond in our town that was said to be quicksand. The story was that a wagon with a team of horses, the driver and a little boy had sunk in it. My grandma swore it was true and she wouldn't lie. Also, we had to wait an hour before we could swim.

[@holdernessfamilylaughs]

A whole team of horses!?

[@Mama_Bear524]

Oh boy 😂

[@thegracklepeck]

An hour was definitely a thing with my aunt too. Ughhh I know now it was because she didn't want us puking in the pool or something but yeah it was rough

[@clintshiplett8548]

When I grew up in the SIXTIES I thought quicksand would be a real common issue.

[@thekirksiffs5285]

@@clintshiplett8548 Yup! too many black and white westerns on TV convinced me too.

[@hfranklin77]

I really believed I’d need all that “Stop, drop, and roll” and “Just say NO to drugs” intensive training a lot more. I was very paranoid that everyone was trying to sell drugs.

[@judithmitchell4667]

These are hysterical and sadly all true for me in the 80's. Got to go... Busy glueing tags back on all my pillows.

[@lovetolovefairytales]

I was a 90s kid, and I had literally ALL of these fears. 😂 Especially the quicksand one. My house was like a decade behind the times, so that may explain a few things.

[@thegracklepeck]

Samesies

[@laurzee]

Getting paddled at school...maybe more like 1979 when I was in 5th grade. My homeroom teacher, Mrs. Pierce, had a paddle with holes in it so it would hurt more. It sat out on the chalkboard tray so we could always see it.

[@Honkey-Donkey]

Ours was displayed front and center in the school office, next to the Principal's door.

[@earthlingYT]

It was illegal by the time I was in school, but the stories were horrible.

[@cherylreitz4779]

not a child of the 80's but was a young teen in the 70's my two biggest fears were being possessed after watching the Exorcist or going in the ocean and being attacked by a great white after watching Jaws and yes they did need a bigger boat lol. Sure there are more but those are the two that stick out in my mind. Even now if I hear Tubular Bells (the theme song from the Exorcist) I still get the chills up my spine.

[@Mama_Bear524]

The jaws was so bad that I had recurring nightmares about being in a pool and being eaten by a shark without even ever seeing the movie and it was in the 80’s lol. It felt so real every time.

[@kathyforgues6994]

Same! I was 6 years old when Jaws came out. My parents let me pick out the movie and no one thought anything about taking a 6 year old 😂 My other fear was Dracula! Watched that one with my older siblings. Couldn’t go to sleep for years without tucking the blankets army neck. Didn’t matter if it was the dead heat of summer🤣

[@EricaGamet]

I only made it like 15 minutes into the Exorcist (saw it at a friend's in like '85 or so)... but Tubular Bells still freaks me out.

[@lisasharf1442]

I was on vacation with the parents and brother (I was 14 or 15) at the beach the summer Jaws came out. There was suddenly a lot of movement about 50 yds offshore, and someone ran up and down the beach yelling “Shark!”… It was a pod of dolphins.🤦🏻‍♀️

[@Joy21090]

I LOVE "Tubular Bells". It's one of my absolute favorite songs. (deep voice 'the glockenspiel' Lol!)

[@Sasha-eo6jz]

Yes, to all of those fears! I was also afraid of whirlpools, pulling me under the water😂.

[@holdernessfamilylaughs]

WHIRLPOOLS!

[@erikavaleries]

Omg yes

[@erikavaleries]

Riptides, whirlpools, piranhas, Bermuda triangle

[@kingskand]

"Step on a crack, and you'll break your momma's back." Yeah, I did worry about that. The razor blades in Halloween candy scared me. Hell, we were primed to fear everything, really.

[@jimdcushman]

Quick sand was definitely something I was legit concerned about but I wasn't nearly as prepared for it as I am today. 👍 Thanks Holderness Family! 👍

[@holdernessfamilylaughs]

Remember, don't struggle.

[@JenniferRobinsonMAAS]

These are perfect! I totally believed the watermelon seeds would grow and I swore I'd fall into any drain grates I saw if I stepped on them. Definitely still avoid them at all costs.

[@jennifermorris6848]

100% on watermelon seeds.

[@LESBIANANDAUTISTIC]

Drain grates! Another thing I'm still afraid of!

[@earthlingYT]

I recently built up enough courage and walked over one. I don't think I'll do it again, though.

[@Firstfalconfree]

I had a childhood friend who fell into a loose drain grate and broke her pelvis when she was like 5. IIRC, the city ended up paying out a lot of money over recklessly leaving it unsecured, so it is probably pretty rare. I still don’t walk on them though. 😂

[@dawnburris6412]

Oh my word!! 😂 The mattress tag and swimming pool for sure! Definitely the watermelon seeds, also swallowing gum, it would stay in your stomach forever and never digest! You pretty much nailed all of them! 😂

[@JanineStoryteller]

The gum! Yes! I swallowed gum and my dad was really worried.

[@erikavaleries]

Ouija Boards scared me in the 80s at every sleepover! And making combined soda 🥤 drinks called "suicides!!" Also randomly, pyromania scared me as a concept!

[@leslierusgrove164]

PLEASE do a part 2 with different ones from the comments that you missed!!!

[@kristenbrissey8437]

I still have a slight panic moment when I go to cut tags off things 😂

[@Mama_Bear524]

I just did the other day and felt like I was breaking a rule 😂

[@dragonweyr44]

I didn't start cutting them until about 5 years ago The fear of the mattress and pillow police ran deep

[@genxkay358]

Me too!😂

[@saaythong]

It said it could only be removed by the consumer, but I didn't know what that meant.

[@piiinkDeluxe]

What kind of tags are those?

[@brandylidbeck9533]

"Watermelons are huge!" haha OMG, why did we fear all of those?! My legit childhood fear was being kidnapped after all of those after-school specials that showed kids getting kidnapped. "I know my first name is Steven" did me in.

[@tinaperez7393]

Yes! Getting kidnapped after school! 😂

[@Mama_Bear524]

Yes the kidnapping. “Don’t talk to strangers” was a terrible campaign

[@juanitaglenn9042]

IKR?! That show gave me nightmares for years! And they wonder why we are the 'helicopter parent' generation? 😅

[@maryelizabeth2751]

Me too, my sister and I were traumatized after learning about kidnappers. My mom told us terrifying (to us) stories about the danger. Yet we still walked over a mile to school. We ran into the bushes every time a car even drove by! One time a neighborhood mom stopped her car, rolled down her window and offered us a ride. We knew her family well, yet we still freaked out and ran!

[@pattyknoll7428]

Can we just mention the "Members Only" jacket? Those were so cool!

[@btetschner]

I looked for one of those the other day at the thrift store.

[@dianekelly6764]

My adult daughter saved her grandfather's Members Only jacket from our garage sale.

[@sealdungan5075]

Yeah. Ted Bundy used to wear one.

[@vickyb9918]

Yes I can so relate especially the one where our parents told us we had to wait after eating to go swimming. That felt like forever when you’re a kid and want to go swimming.

[@lisamarie5774]

I remember all of these too well, especially the swimming pool one! The one that gets me is the "Killer Bees" that are coming! I'm still fearful of those swarm of bees coming here, lol!

[@lancedicker858]

What, no alligators in the sewer? 😂 I totally agree with the pillow tag though.

[@JamesTM]

100% applicable for 90s childhoods too. And the bit about seedless watermelons is flawless.

[@mostlyends]

Born in 1975, and I'm dying of laughter. Roflmao don't forget all the buttons and pins we wore on our denim jackets... Oh and friendship pins!!

[@genxkay358]

Truth: I still get anxiety when cutting tags off of anything I’ve already purchased! 😂😂

[@thesmugroup]

Being caught on fire! We had drills about “stop, drop, and roll” every year! The movies taught us to fear quicksand, but I figured we’d all be set on fire or we’d catch on fire all the time after all the fire training in elementary school.

[@erikavaleries]

Yes whyyyyyy

[@mhedstrom]

So accurate. Razor blades in the Halloween candy was another one for sure. Also 'don't go out with wet hair (even in the summer), you'll get a cold' was a big one. My parents would make us wait an hour after eating before swimming though!

[@trinaq]

Thanks for making our Fridays, Penn and Kim. In addition to the watermelon seed, I was told that if I didn't eat my bread crusts, the boogeyman would come for me. Talk about traumatising children for life, right?! 😱😂

[@thejackal007]

I remember all of these things too. You really nailed the perfect jingle to tie them all together, too!

[@Lauraway2]

I am a child of the sixties and teenager of the seventies, quicksand was definitely something I knew I would come across in my life. I haven’t yet. Sorta disappointed. Had a plan and everything. And not going swimming until an hour after eating for sure. I also still have tags on my mattress. 😂

[@lillianlamantia9605]

I am really surprised that they could go swimming 30 minutes after eating as I had to wait an hour like you and I am a child of the 80s. And yes quicksand was a very dangerous thing that was everywhere I thought.

[@Mama_Bear524]

@@lillianlamantia9605also weren’t we supposed to be offered free drugs all the time? I’m 41. Still waiting.

[@Nelle4ever]

Saying "Bloody Mary" in a mirror three times because she would appear.

[@manisteerocks7092]

Goonies was a favorite of all time..escalator was definitely a threat, tag not so much. We thought we had quick sand at my friends house, then we just realized he had too many dogs in the back yard he didn't clean up after. So..yah..and in 1987 we rode see saws too..I'd jump off and send the girl flying. Lol

[@brendaw2255]

My husband and I laughed watching these 😂😂😂. He’s 5 years older than me and we grew up in different states but had the same fears! Swimming was 1 hour for both of us.

[@kristinagarrett1827]

I was afraid lava was going to take me out 😂

[@holdernessfamilylaughs]

We forgot about lava.

[@backyardrebel2149]

@@holdernessfamilylaughs Maybe do a part 2?

[@katannep7798]

I truly have seen a kid’s shoelace get caught in the escalator and his foot was slowly turning backwards! It was at the subway station in DC. My brother actually ran and found an emergency switch on the side of the escalator to turn it off!

[@btetschner]

That sounds terrifying.

[@earthlingYT]

I can't "like" this, but I'm glad he saved the day!

[@Firstfalconfree]

My mom hit the emergency shut-off when one of the band kids she was chaperoning had this happen on a trip!

[@Fox-Mann-Fam]

These are hilarious and I remember most of them (though we totally blew off the FBI warning on video tapes). We DID think we were on the fast track for nuclear war. In Junior high the school lost power for about 15 minutes during gym class and a lot of us thought the bombs were on their way.

[@dragonweyr44]

I thought the movie The Day After was real

[@noelc2]

The nuclear bomb thing would’ve been fine since we had those super helpful drills where we crouched in the hall with a book above our heads 😂

[@dragonweyr44]

@@noelc2 Duck and cover Because EVERYONE knew that 1/2 inch of wood and a little metal protects you from a nuclear blast But a blanket during a picnic is even more effective

[@debbiebuonincontro5125]

Yep! Nuclear war was my biggest fear!

[@Fox-Mann-Fam]

@@noelc2 In the Midwest that's what our tornado drills looked like. We didn't have bomb drills, but my junior high had a section marked as a fallout shelter (locker rooms and pool area).

[@rebeccatrono3376]

The tags! Yes! Never cut them off, ever b/c of the fear! And yes the quicksand was everywhere! Wow, I thought all seesaws were abolished due to their "danger". I loved them!

[@Hukolb11]

And those super tall metal slides with the rounded doorways.

[@phredshunkie3487]

Wetting the bed after playing with fire. I was a pyro child. 😂

[@radioflyer68911]

I blame Gillian's Island for most of the quick sand phobia.

[@suzannebert3652]

Omg thank you for the morning laugh. The shoe lace thing is real. The things our parents told us. I'm a child of the early 70's.

[@HeatherMajors]

When I was a kid I asked what happens when no one says "god bless you" when you sneeze ( I was 5 at the time). One parent told me that your soul may escape. At church they say you need your soul to be alive. So I made the "logical" leap that if I sneezed and no one was around I would die. I came crying to my mom about it thinking I was going to die and she told me just to say "god bless me". Though I know I won't die now, to this day when I sneeze while alone I still say god bless me in my head.

[@m_n_a_b]

I literally had ALL of these fears as a child... and I was born in 1986. These totally continued into the 90's. 🤣

[@choppersworld5094]

i know the watermelon one did. but the rest... i would have just fast-forward the FBI warning with oh yeah.

[@MS-mv7zi]

I was born in '94. Definitely lasted into the early 2000s.

[@Robin-jp9im]

This explains where my adult anxieties come from today. 😂

[@franceskoz]

Most of these were true as a 90s kid too! And I think I'm still scared of stepping off the escalator...:P

[@slonekettering25]

The quicksand fear was legit! I died laughing throughout that whole thing! 😅

[@ccudmore]

Most of those are also 70s Childhood Fears. At least they were for me. Plus Duck and Cover drills.

[@tinaperez7393]

Playgrounds are such a great source of fun and excercise. One of the best things about having kids - you get to play with them on the playground. Hard to do when you're all alone and they're all grown up! You feel weird trying to play on it when no one's around or looking. And of course it's lonelier without your kids. But playgrounds are so great. Our town built a new modern one that is really cool and designed for all ages, so that was neat.

[@Sam_on_YouTube]

I was afraid that "robbers" were going to come through the window. We lived on the 4th floor. I made my big sister sleep facing me. She was very happy when I was old enough that I was willing to sleep in my own room.

[@tinaperez7393]

Yes! "Robbers!" 😂

[@encourageandrepeat8375]

Robbers were definitely scary. I do wish I didn't waste so much time praying against the effects of volcanoes, though. We didn't even have any mountains.

[@dragonweyr44]

Razor blades in apples and poisoned candy on Halloween were my biggest fears but I forgot when we had to x-ray our Halloween candy

[@RoyalMasterpiece]

Yesssssss

[@dragonweyr44]

@@RoyalMasterpiece Remember poisoned Tylenol bottles?

[@Moonkyst]

In the 70's, my bell bottoms got caught in an escalator. It shut down and someone pulled the pants leg out. I never could get the grease out!

[@holdernessfamilylaughs]

That's so scary!

[@CLB30ROX]

My biggest 80s fear was stranger danger. Honestly, it's even worse now 🤣🤣

[@zaphodbeeblebrox2911]

How could you forget Bigfoot?!? I still won't go camping...

[@JNebraska]

"Don't step on a crack or you'll break your mother's back"

[@DoGoodCrochet]

I was a kid in the early 90s and I remember so many of these!

[@theapplelearningtree]

Love going back down memory lane 😂 aw the jumping off the escalators so you didn’t get sucked in 🤣🤣

[@susanmyers376]

Definitely the pool thing! For us that was especially hard because my aunt lived in Vestal NY and had a pool and whenever we’d go to her house she made spiedies, which we absolutely loved! (It’s a NY thing). Anyway, we really wanted to eat AND we really wanted to swim, but we had to choose! LONGEST 1/2 hour increments EVER!

[@blair7764]

All of these! Also, white kidnapper vans, the Bermuda Triangle, and just hearing the Unsolved Mysteries theme music. 😂

[@btetschner]

They made a video off a topic I presented: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hIrYpWmjethqm6c

[@dawnlizreads]

The watermelon seed one was funny... it was apple seeds in the UK (apples being much more available). Plus, there was the whole cyanide in apple seeds malarkey (true but not in significant enough amounts to do damage)

[@ashleymckinney2002]

You hit em all EXCEPT the likely possibility that Gremlins are hiding under my bed or in my closet AND that they are an explanation for all unexplained sounds. Thanks for the laugh!

[@jeffe4297]

Whoa, whoa, whoa…swimming only 30 minutes after eating?!? That’s a no go. Everyone knows it’s at least an hour, preferably two hours.

[@MrsBasia99]

Quick sand! 😂 Why did that not come true? We were convinced it was EVERYWHERE!

[@cvmcclendon]

I was scared that if you stood close to a microwave and looked in at your food you'd ruin your eyes and it would start to "nuke" your insides. I think my dad just didn't like us all crowding around it waiting for the food 😂

[@cvmcclendon]

Also, didn't know until a few years ago that quicksand doesn't actually pull you in... So yes, scared of that too!

[@cbart4285]

All of these. But one episode of "In Search Of" with Leonard Nimoy that covered spontaneous human combustion had me pretty freaked out.

[@sd3693]

When I was little, I thought "prosecuted" and "executed" were the same word. When I saw "shoplifters will be prosecuted" signs, I thought that the laws were REALLY draconic.

[@Cfb2987]

Yes I remember the obsession with quicksand when I was in elementary school.

[@kathyfritz9962]

I was terrified of Big Foot and aliens bc they were always on the cover of The National Enquirer which I would read while waiting with my mom at the grocery checkout. Another big 80s fear was that Bubble Yum was made with spider eggs 😂

[@shalawndudley2094]

Waking up during Santa's visit, he would throw ashes in your eyes 😅