Reply #19: I was afraid to flush the toilet, [View All]

but not for the normal reason - most little kids are afraid they'll get sucked down - no, I had to be contrary even about that. I was afraid something would come OUT of the toilet when it was flushed and attack me. I think my fuzzy little brain conflated two unrelated events - one was a friend who claimed she'd found a snake in her toilet bowl, and the other was a horrific toilet overflow incident that I witnessed when very small (plumbers were called and carpets were replaced). I'm still paranoid about toilets overflowing.

I had it in my head that if I got out of the room before the toilet bowl emptied, I'd be safe from the crapper demons. So I used to stand like a sprinter, reach as far as I could to flush, then sprint from the room and slam the door behind me. It drove my mother berserk, but not quite as berserk as leaving the toilet unflushed.