Constant fear of something bad happening to my kids
This crippling anxiety stems from the terrifying realization that you might not survive the grief if your child were injured, lost, or eventually cut off contact. The constant overthinking often spikes before family trips—like fearing a child will drown or fall off a balcony—leaving parents wondering how they could ever go on.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Accepting that everyone eventually dies and trying to find happiness againDid this help you?
- 2Mourning over timeDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I have this fear that I messed up by having a child, because of the deep sadness I might face.”source ↗
“While I don't regret having my child, I do have this fear of anything happening to her. It goes beyond just my love for her, and into the more selfish, "How could I go on?".”source ↗
“I also fear something happening in our relationship and her cutting off contact.”source ↗
“Same here!!! 😅 I just need a break from overthinking 🤣”source ↗
“Does anyone here feel anxious when a trip is coming up? For example, we went on a cruise, and my fear was that my kids would fall off the balcony.”source ↗
“We’re going to the Dominican Republic next week and I’m having this crippling anxiety. I fear my kids will drown either in a river or at the beach.”source ↗
Where this came up
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