To put it simply, it's no secret that in between all the joy and wonder and snuggles, parenthood can be very scary. It might actually be easier to compile a list of things that aren’t frightening for parents than it would be to compile a list of things that are. Here’s what I was able to come up with: 1) socks, 2) anytime when my son is sitting comfortably on my lap at home, 3) newborn kittens. That’s it.
OK, fine, I’m being a little dramatic. I’ve always had a pretty low fear tolerance. Horror movies are not my jam, I avoid news stories about disasters and murders as much as possible, and I keep a healthy supply of pepper spray in my house and in my purse (any bad guys reading this should note that I will spray you in the face).
I could probably scrounge up with a few more non-scary things if you twist my arm, but my point is this: There are lots of things that parents, especially new moms, can be afraid of, ranging from the light and fluffy (teddy bear in the crib? GTFO. Those eyes might not be sewed on tightly enough) to the dark and terrifying (guns, crime, diseases, banana slugs, etc.).
As a parent, the fears that can be toughest to shake are the ones surrounding the health and well-being of my son. Ugh, I can barely scratch the surface on this one without getting all worked up about it. I’ll stop here and let some other moms speak for themselves when it comes to what scares them the most.
"Every cough was the same pneumonia that killed Jim Henson. Also delayed drowning, where they drown hours after getting water in their lungs." - Jamie
My crazy unfounded parenting fear w/my first kid: that she was crying b/c she had an itch she couldn't scratch and I had no idea where it was. - Liza
"For the first month I was convinced that if I waited more than EXACTLY three hours to feed my son, he was going to starve." - Katie
Fear: eye infections that could spread to BRAINS. - Whitney
"These days I'm terrified my son will choke (especially on apples). Or that he will climb off my bed, open the door, and fall down the stairs. Or that he'll slip in the bathtub and crack his skull open and die. My son was in NICU at birth for months so I had lots of fears then that he wouldn’t make it, and when he came home, that he would stop breathing in his sleep or suffocate somehow. Also that he’d never learn to eat (had a lot of feeding issues at birth, still has some issues but he eats). Basically, I have a *ton* of anxiety about the safety and well-being of my son. I am also constantly convinced that all the TV I’ve allowed him to watch is rotting his brain and he won't learn to speak properly (even though he just learned 3 new words this week)." - Priscilla
"That something bad and out of my control will happen to my kids." - Laura
I learn of a new fear daily with my kids-everything from potential illnesses, to breaking bones, to giving too much red dye 40. - Shannon
"I heard a beautiful quote this morning, "Worrying is a waste of the imagination." I took note of this as I'm constantly worried about my kids." - Amy
"Raising a tween girl. I have no idea what I am doing!" - Kriste
"The death of one of my children." - J.
"My biggest parenting fear at the moment is just constantly worrying if my kid is OK and happy. Sometimes when she is eating in her highchair I just look over at her and stare and want to ask "You OK, girl? Are you happy? Are you enjoying your life so far?" and wish I could get a response from her. I just want my kid to be happy." - Rachael
"As a mother, my hope is to protect her always and my greatest fear is that I won't be able to. My two-year-old recently said, "I scared." Something about it just broke my heart a little bit — that fear had been introduced not only into her vocabulary, but also her life. After hearing about another school shooting it's hard to resist the urge to keep her locked up in her room until she's 50, so finding a balance as a parent to teach your children to be vigilant, but not live in fear is something I think about even with young children." - Kelly
