For me, parenting involves a fair amount of paranoia. My kids are so lucky.
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I’m afraid of convenience stores.
I’m pretty sure if I step foot in one something bad like a hostage situation is going to go down. Sorry kiddies, no stopping for Hot Cheetos and Slurpees on the way to Vegas, I love you waaay too much.
I’m afraid to let my kids play in those fast food play areas.
I received the same email forward you all did about the poop and syringes found in that ball pit someplace that one time. Sorry kids, no poopy needle ball pits for you.
I’m afraid to be one of the few people playing at the park with my kids.
In my recent experience, lots of people just hang out at the park and watch. Maybe they are perfectly respectable people deep in thought facing some pressing life crossroad, or maybe they are just staring at my kids a little too intently. Whatever it is, I don’t like it. Sorry kiddies, no playing at the deserted park with random lonely people without children or dogs watching. Just watching…
I prefer the term “cautious” to paranoid because it sounds diligent, responsible and deserving of a big gold star.
But just so you know, it’s not just me. My kids fear, or at one time have feared: helmets, Tim Burton films, volcanoes, piranhas, the garage door, men in makeup and rabies.
When you really get down to the crux of it, you know you’ve feared a helmet or volcano in your day…right? Tell me I’m right.
Do you have any “cautious” fears? Do your children?
MOMMYFRIEND 
I’m with you! Well, not on the convenience store one, that’s kind of weird (ha, sorry!). I do love stopping at those on road trips. But the ball pits and creepy people parks? No way!
I refuse to let my son play in those balls, due to my own traumatic experience with them when I was young. I was so excited to get in there…and it smelled like FEET. And I got sock lint all over my clothes. NEVER AGAIN. And NEVER for my SweetPea!
The moon, I LOVE that! And your daughter, poor thing! These are the memories…
Hee hee, me too
No, not crazy at all! You never can be too careful!
But of course, we love our Daddy Friends!
PS, am I allowed to read/post on your blog? Funny thing is, the vast majority of my followers are women. I like reading parenting blogs in general.
Single Dad Laughing.
Haha, fear of helmets? How does that even happen? I understand loathing of helmets, at least back in the early nineties when I was the only kid who’s parents made him wear one. It was already hard being the fat kid, but the fat kid with a helmet? Come to think of it, I am officially now scared of helmets. Thanks for the triggering flashback. My fears are all microscopic. I know that there is disease and death lurking anywhere public that my hands are going to venture.Single Dad Laughing
O my gosh, I am not crazy! I also think the same thing about people sitting at parks alone!!!
I certainly used to have irrational fears all the time. So much that I thought about locking my son in his bedroom at night in case there was an intruder he wouldn’t be able to just open his door and snatch him up. But now I worry more about if any other moms at church will see me pick up that grape that just fell on the floor, dust it off and hand it to above referenced kid.
Ha! My brother was afraid of the moon (when it was full) and the wind. My youngest daughter was afraid of the fire alarm. She would not go upstairs by herself for fear it would go off. Once it did go off and she ran straight out the front door in a towel and was screaming in the street “don’t make me go back in there!!” Don’t make me!” I’m sure that looked pretty interesting to the neighbors!
OMG my hubby thinks I’m crazy (and he’s a cop), so maybe I do go a little overboard sometimes. As for convenience stores, I’m with you. Stay away from fast food places too during late hours…I’ve got 2 real life horror stories that keep me outta those places after dark. Yes, as a teenager I witnessed 2 robberies while working, so I’m freakin traumatized. We caved on the fast food play area after we promised the kiddo we’d take her to the park one day, and as soon as we parked, it started storming. The kid was devastated. Snot, tears, the works. So we found a Chick-Fil-A, and they are usually pretty clean in my experience compared to other FF places. I’m weary of parks and I tend to observe everything while I’m there. Usually, I won’t take her without another mom meeting me for a playdate or my hubby going with me.
This made me laugh – WITH you, not AT you. I get it. I’ve finally overcome some of my fears, and tell myself they’re building immunity through germ exposure. As my little one currently licks everything, we’re doing some serious immunity building.
And I’m also certain that we’re always on the verge of witnessing a robbery or something. That’s one fear I really don’t want to pass on to the kids. I’m sure if they have my genes, they’ll acquire it themselves soon enough. Ha.
well I don’t shop at convenience stores because I just don’t need to…although I have hit them up on road trips.
I was lucky in that my child had a sensitivity to noise and just couldn’t take being in “scream land” so we didn’t have that issue.
and I too am cautious around playgrounds. We go frequently and I will point out to other moms someone who just seems out of place. All the moms give the person the stare and they leave. 😀
I’m just now letting my 12 y/o go off with her friend and a cell phone at the mall, but she isn’t allowed to walk down the street to the library yet. That might never happen.
Absolutely! You have to be so careful these days. So many crazies out there. My little guy is too young to know his fears yet but I’m sure before I know it I’ll be able to share some of them with you. I’ve got to say though that you mentioning convenience stores puts me right in the mood for Andy Capp’s Hot Fries! 🙂