What are some things that children worry about quietly, and we adults have no IDEA they're worried about it?

Awwwww Poor little sweetheart. I’m glad you found your way. :0)

Poor little girl, how cute.

I used to worry that the ice cream van driver would get ill and no other driver would be able to find our street.

That would be awful @Headhurts!

@Dutchess_III I know, I was really worried about that until I was about 9.

I worried for two years because I lied to my dad. When I was 8 he discovered that I’d shoplifted from a Shop Ez. My girlfriend and I stole, among other things, some rolling papers. We thought they’d make cool spy notes, because we were also spies that summer. I had no IDEA what they were really used for.
My sisters got a hold of them, Dad was called in and….I was busted. He asked me if I had ever stolen anything else. I said, “No.” Hell, my girlfriend and I cased the joint on a regular basis that summer!
So, I was a thief, and spy and a liar. The liar thing bugged me and bugged me and bugged me. Every night I would pray about it. It really haunted me. One night, after I’d gone to bed (and we had moved since The Incident,) I got up and with trembling heart went downstairs and said, “Daddy, I have to talk to you.”
He could see how distraught I was. He took me on his lap and said, “What honey? You can tell me anything.”
“Daddy…remember when I stole those papers things and you asked if that was the only thing I had stolen and I said, ‘Yes’?”
My dad said, “Yes. I remember.”
”I LIED!!!” I wailed!!! “I took a stole a LOT of stuff before that!” And I just cried and cried and cried. He just held me and said, “We all make mistakes. You haven’t done it again, have you?” I thought I almost heard a tiny bit of laughter in his voice but no….that couldn’t be. It was all too heinous…but in retrospect, as an adult, probably all the air rushed out of him in huge relief that it involved that old, old crime and not some truly awful that had just happened, like…someone hurting me or something.
“Oh no! No I haven’t!” And I hadn’t. In fact, didn’t steal another thing till I was 18. :) But that was the last thing I ever stole and I don’t even know why I did it.

My nephew came to live with me last year. He’s been bounced between four cities over the past couple of years. I want him to feel safe and secure here, without worry that his life will be suddenly overturned. Took him a couple of weeks just to unpack his suitcase and put clothing into his dressers. I’ve also notice that he’s recently begun to put posters and artwork on his room walls. I think he’s finally settling in and feeling comfortable and secure.

When he came last year, he had to start HS Junior year midway amongst strangers. Now he gets to begin his Senior year with friends in the neighborhood and knowing most of the teachers in the small school. He’s part of the community now.

He really liked me showing him the updated occupancy permit with his name on it. He says: “Oh. So that means I’m supposed to be here”?…

“That’s right buddy. Your’e supposed to be here”.

Aw @RealEyesRealizeRealLies. That is a touching, touching story. Bless you.
Give him hugs for me.

mmkay @Dutchess_III. I’ll let him know the thief gives her regards.;)

@RealEyesRealizeRealLies Brought tears to my eyes that. How sad. Pleased he’s finally happy and feeling like he belongs.

I promise I won’t take his rolling papers!

Last week, my 4-year-old asked my wife and I if ducks have teeth. He was very relieved to hear that they don’t. I have no idea why he was so concerned about toothy ducks, and he wouldn’t elaborate about his concerns.

I used to worry that one day my mom would find out I smoked marijuana.

I remember being afraid of the alligator who was under my bed at night. If I got out of bed, I had to step on a rug and not the bare floor or It would get me. I also kept my arms tight under the sheets so I would be safe. I don’t think I ever told anybody. It was kind of a thrill, somehow, to be scared.
I never had serious things to keep secret. I was too much of a goody-goody.

When you have a child with severe anxiety, you come to realize that they worry about everything. It usually didn’t stay a secret worry for very long, because the anxiety would build and build until it reached panic state – when it would all come rushing out. A lot of reassurance was needed, lots of talking and cuddling and calming. Aside from the big things (a parent dying, house fire, etc.), here are various things my anxious child has been extremely worried about in the past:

Thunderstorms.
Is (dried) nail polish on my nails poisonous?
Is laundry detergent left in my clothes after they’re washed and dried? Is it poisonous?
Are you sure that electric space heaters don’t put off carbon monoxide? Really, really sure?
Is lipstick poisonous?
If I eat that (anything), I will choke. (This one was the worst. Constant, for about a year.)
Am I getting sick? What if I throw up? (Related to the choking one, this one reoccurred frequently.)
Some doctor’s visits and all medicines. (Throat cultures, shots, and giving medication required many adults to hold her down. So sad!)

Therapy and medication were eventually a big help, and she’s been much more in control of her anxiety for several years.

@augustlan That is so sad. My heart was breaking as I was reading. I’m so happy that medication has helped.

That there are germs in the toilet that will get them when they go to do a wee or a poo. My son suddenly started freaking out about going to the toilet after watching an advert where there were animated germs in the loo.

That clown that you thought was cute – they’re scared to death of it. I thought my daughter was being so kind when she donated that toy clown to her baby brother so it could be in his room. She confessed years later.

That the people in the TV are real. Not so much a worry but my three year old daughter did think Bette Midler and her were friends because Bette smiled at her at the end of that song “From a distance”. She suddenly turned to me and said “she knows me”. Bless.

That animals on TV really do die. “Lassy’s dead!” from my other daughter who was hiding behind the sofa and crying hysterically.

I think if my parents had known how much I worried over little things they would have sent me to therapy (and rightfully so)! I can remember lying awake doing the mental checklist thing at like, 8 years old. Mostly school stuff. That’s just not right!

It just means you’re analytical @Mariah!

As a child I was terrified of terrible diseases that I was hearing about on the TV or in my mum’s magazines that she used to leave lying around (things like Woman’s Own etc). I spent many sleepless nights worrying that I would get cancer, lose all my hair to alopecia or end up paralysed through MS etc. I felt very lonely because I couldn’t talk to anyone about it (or that’s what I thought).

And that’s it in a nutshell. They don’t realize that they CAN talk to somebody. Poor kids.

Yes, I was miserable for many years because I was to embarressed to talk to someone about what was scaring the shit out of me at the time. It is important that children feel that they can talk and that no one is going to belittle them for their fears, no matter how irrational they may be to any adult.

Aw, {hugs} @Leanne1986.

@augustlan Thank you. It sounds like one of your daughters had similar problems with anxiety as I did. I hope she is able to deal with it better now.

Sniffles. Seriously. Poor kids.