Friday 7 May 2010

Irrational Fear

When I was a little girl, I had an irrational fear of:
Piranha Fish
Soldier Ants
Plagues of Locusts
Leprosy
and Japanese soldiers

none of which were in evidence much in Barnsley in the 1960's!

My fear of Japanese soldiers stemmed from the fact that the a fore mentioned Bishop of Wakefield who visited our school (the one who's knee I sat on!) had a very bad lisp, caused by having his tongue cut off, and then sewn back on again, in a Japanese prisoner of war camp. We also had a very strange neighbour who had apparently been OK before he too was captured by the Japanese. Also, one of my favourite films when I was young was Father Goose - with the oh so handsome Cary Grant.

This is now one of my "ironing" films - but I still can feel the fear when the Japanese soldier is on the beach and a coconut falls from a tree near one of the little girls.


Did you have any irrational fears when you were little?
(I think the moral of the story is be careful what you let your kids watch on TV and if you go to church, or a church school like I did, be careful how you tell bible stories!

15 comments:

Jen Walshaw said...

Birds, always have, still dont like them

The Girl said...

What a strangely coincidental post. Go over to my blog and read my post from yesterday. My irriational fear? THE CRYSTAL MAZE!

Rosie said...

I had a fear of Japanese Soldiers as well. I used to watch war films with my Dad and in those days we had an outside loo - I used to run down the steps from the back door and round to the loo past a high hedge behind which was our back garden - of course, in my mind, there were always Japanese soldiers lurking in the hedge! Another film that frightened me - I no idea what it was - a man got caught in quick sand and was sucked under - that frightened me for ages:)

...Nina Nixon... said...

When I die I'm gone forever....but then I was only ten....I think I'm OK with it now.

Have a lovely weekend,

Nina x

Michela said...

A part from the fear of Nazi soldiers, I thought there was a monster hidden behind my mum bedroom's door..so everytime I had to cross our long lounge I ran as fast as I could..I must confess you that I still do it, ha ha!
xxxxx

BadPenny said...

I had a reocurring dream about a bald headed man in a helicopter hovering outside my bedroom window come to kidnap me. My three brothers were busy swapping football cards & no one noticed ! I used to go into climb into bed with my mum when I'd had this dream.
These days, I can't watch any films with torchure in them - gives me dreadful nightmares.


I was terrified of spiders as a child but I grew out of it & can even pick a spider up now !

Unknown said...

If my arms or legs hung over the edge of the bed, then I was done for. I swear there was some witch or evil monster lurking underneath. It's funny what you think up when you're a young kid isn't it?

andamento said...

Hi Diane, it is indeed you - my blog giveaway winner that is, not my worst nightmare!

Anne x

elsy said...

japanese and german soldiers most definately.....do you remember those little picture cards that boys swapped in the playground when they werent playing war games(early sixties when things were not so pc) anyhow cards showing japanese soldiers doing terrible things, think crabs , soldiers smeared with sticky stuff rising tides etc...german with bayonets As you can tell scarred for life....wouldnt be allowed now! xx

Lisa said...

Nothing to do with fear, just wanted to share the Cary Grant Love. What a dishy bloke he was!!
Lisa x

Lyn said...

Oh I have ironing films too!
any way irrational fear when young moths and yes you have guessed it still can not go to sleep if one is in the room because when I was little one fluttered into my face while asleep!
Love
Lyn
xxx

rosiehearts said...

Steptoe and Son......oh that used to scare the living daylights out of me. Actually i can't even bear to watch it now if it's on sky x

love those cupcakes said...

It was swimming pools for me. It still is. All of that public water. Gives me the shivers.

Paris Pastry said...

As a child I used to be scared of thunderstorms. I dreaded the lightning and loud clasps it made. I remember burying my face in stuffed animals! But now, thankfully, I've gotten over it. Ugly shoes and too tight jeans is what scares me now!

Homes and Dreams said...

Hi,
Crabs - which is fine whilst living in the middle of Yorkshire. My dream however is to live by the sea so I may have to over come that one!
Have a good weekend x