Fear of Children

[gaffaglow]

I used to be kind of afraid of children and schools because I had been bullied so much when I was young. But I had a job for a while where I was working with high school children, and had to go onto high school campuses, and that really helped me. I'm not really afraid of them anymore!

 

[Ken]

For me it's a sensory issue. I am kind of afraid of babies and small children because they shriek unexpectedly and it HURTS. Also, they smell funky, are often sticky and prone to grab me/my things with sticky fingers etc. I'm very, very uncomfortable around them (less so outdoors). I'm really uncomfortable if I'm in a restaurant or somewhere like that where I want some semblance of peace and tranquility and there's a baby or small child present. I'm just waiting for them to start shrieking and totally spoil it for me.

Yes, that describes it for me very well. I think it is definitely a sensory issue for me. The screams and random, chaotic movements jar me to the core. For them to run up and grab at me is mortifying. I guess I wouldn’t be “afraid” if not for that, but it’s the sense and fear of the touch and the pain of the screams. I also find it jarringly painful for anyone, adult, doctor – anyone to touch me. This, however, is dependent on the circumstance. If the touch is expected and intended then it is ok, but anything random, or uninvited is very painful.

 

[GrownupGirl]

I'm not really afraid of children, but I do prefer them to not be around. Their voices are often too loud and shrill. They scream and cry and wail while their parents expect everyone else to just put up with it. They get in your way and don't respect your personal space. Worst of all, they tend to suddenly lose control of their bodily functions with little to no warning.

 

[Tom]

I have always had sensory issues with some little kids like the noise and frenetic activity. I also found the often banal conversation/interactions dreadfully boring. I can't wait till their parents come and take them away.

Quiet and thoughtful kids are a different matter for me and I can enjoy interacting with them and even learn things from their still open view of life and their questionings. And they also bring out a protective side of me.

So I wondered about parenting and how it would go. Fortunately once it happened a new, dynamic occurred which was an awakened natural wish to care for and nurture your child. And it was very powerful and what would normally have been very disagreeable/difficult situations (with someone else's kid) was much easier and automatic with your own.

 

[Crossbreed]

...and what would normally have been very disagreeable/difficult situations (with someone else's kid) was much easier and automatic with your own.

Even repugnant duties like toilet management of my (now) 26yo daughter seem less offensive to me than when I babysat as a teen.

 

[Myway]

Children don't scare me at all. It's adults that scare me more.

 

[Au Naturel]

Children don't scare me at all. It's adults that scare me more.

Once you are responsible for their safety and well-being, they can be very frightening.

 

[Progster]

Small children don't scare me - I work with them on a daily basis and am used to them, it's teenagers who most often make me nervous. Not all teenagers, just a certain type. Probably because of bad experiences with teenagers as a child. When I was a teenager myself, other teenagers often made me nervous and if I saw a group of them together I would give them a wide birth (still do). They are more socially aware and developed, but without the emotional maturity to go with it, that can be a bad combination.

 

[Myway]

Once you are responsible for their safety and well-being, they can be very frightening.

I do have a kid actually now and so far they aren't terrifying. They do cry and wake me up at night, but still not frightening.

 

[Au Naturel]

I do have a kid actually now and so far they aren't terrifying. They do cry and wake me up at night, but still not frightening.

Wait until they get really sick. That is a frightening situation. If they get thru childhood with just a broken bone or a childhood disease, they are lucky. The world is full of dangers and the frightening thing is that you cannot protect them from them all. Even attempting to protect them from everything is itself a harmful act.

To be a parent is to know fear. Often you don't act upon it because you know they have to learn for themselves. Other times you don't act because there is simply nothing you can do and all you can do is offer the best instruction you can before the fact and then help pick up the pieces after the disaster. Humans are not meant to be raised in a padded room in a hothouse.

 

[Streetwise]

I am curious how many of you are afraid of children.

I have been afraid of children my entire life – even when I was a child. Hearing children scream sends chills up my spine, terrifying me to near petrified.

I am afraid of people in general, but children are the most fearful. I can generally tolerate calm children that seem to have good control of their behavior, but most seem to be extremely chaotic.

It's not, the root is the fear of death ,like all phobias whatever is closest is wrongly presumed to be the fear!