Do you have a phobia? What is it?

[AGDee]

Mine are mellowing with age some.

First is spiders: I used to be so terrified that I was paralyzed by them. That had to change when I became a single mom. I have to be able to protect my babies (even as teenagers) from them, so I am able to kill them now. I still freak out inside though.

Bats: I didn't know this was true until there was one in my bedroom when I was doing an internship way back in 1987. Freaked the hell out of me. I didn't really have a fear before then.

Heights/bridges: These go together. I'm ok if I'm high up and sitting somewhere stable, far from windows. When I went to the top of the Sears Tower (don't care what it is called now, it is the Sears Tower to me), I had to kneel to be by the windows and look out. That's crazy because what's a foot or two lower when kneeling compared to high up you are? I can look OUT, but I can't look down, if that makes sense. I'm ok on a ladder. I would not be ok on a roof. Bridges absolutely terrify me, especially if I have to be the one doing the driving while going over them. I had to drive over the Mackinac Bridge once and it was the scariest thing ever. I had to stay on the inner most lane. If someone else is driving, I just close my eyes. One bridge near my house, which I have to use several times a year isn't that high, but it is still scary to me. Thank goodness it isn't too long. It's MUCH worse when the bridge is a gate and not concrete too.

ETA: As a child, I was terrified of fire. That's totally gone now, but when I was little, even an insurance commercial on TV or the witch setting the scarecrow on fire during the Wizard of Oz sent me into an uncontrollable panic. My brother and parents used to have to get me out of the room or distract me if fires were on TV.

I also used to be afraid of geese because I was feeding some when I was 2 1/2 and when I ran out of bread, they kept trying to get more, trying to get into my pockets, etc. I shouldn't remember anything from that age, but I remember that.