Outhouseholeaphobia

There are many phobias in this world.  Arachnophobia is the fear of spiders.  I possess that one because I insist on my wife killing the things.

Basophobia is the fear of falling while walking.  Many older folks should develop that fear, to help keep them from falling and breaking fragile bones.

A most unusual phobia is one I can hardly pronounce. Syngenesophobia is a fear of relatives. I know my wife has it because when she finds out they’re coming and the house isn’t clean, she freaks.

I have a phobia that’s not on the list.  It wasn’t hard creating a name that fits. I’m sure you’ll easily understand after reading. Outhouseholeaphobia is the fear of falling through an outhouse hole.

For me it started at my Grandpa & Grandma Hankins’ place.  To this day I have fear of an outhouse hole.  It’s not the building that scares me. The deep, dark, hole causes me great distress. What’s down there and how far does the hole go?

My older brother Jim didn’t help matters by telling me monsters and snakes lived at the bottom. He said the holes were so deep that you could never climb out. No amount of reassurance by my parents or grandparents could dissuade me from believing such. The lies were permanently etched in my brain.

Unfortunately while traveling, I find some states still use the primitive outhouse design.  I’ve gingerly stepped into a few such places where the hole looked to be miles deep.  I often found myself closing my eyes while at the same time holding my breath.

My grandparents knew I hated outhouses and they made special provision.  At their home they kept a white enameled pot with lid.  I won’t go into further detail. They allowed me use of this device until approximately six years of age.  After that I was on my own.

What they didn’t know was I discovered there were other places to go besides the outhouse.  Thankfully there were plenty of trees and bushes around their yard.

These days many kids have never seen nor used an outhouse.  Lucky for them! I’m sure there are rural homes still having these primitive outdoor facilities.

There is another phobia somewhat related to outhouseholeaphobia. It’s called portapotaphobia. As the name suggests it is the fear of portable toilets. I know several people with this affliction including my wife.

Seems to me the worse thing that could happen, is a strong wind come up while you’re inside and blow the hut over. I’ve seen this occur numerous times with no one inside.

I suppose it could be tipped quite easily by mere pushing. That’s why it’s best to only enter when friends aren’t around; at least my friends that is!