It's sort of hard to guess because it's something that is supposed to be fun. My worst fear as a child were sleepovers. I hated getting invited to them. I hated going to them. Once I heard the invitations percolating my stomach would drop and I would get a feeling of uneasiness that could not be relieved until the sleepover was done and over with. I hated being invited because then I knew I could not get out of it and I would have to go.

It was not that I did not like the person or did not want to spend time with them, it was just that I did not want to stay over somewhere other than home for an entire night.

Here's the kicker though—I loved all sleepover storybooks, movies, and scenes of it in TV shows. One of my favorite books as a child was "Grover Sleeps Over," where he goes and plays games at his best friend Betty Lou’s house and then spends the night. I loved the story. The pictures were full of the two of them painting and playing games.

I loved the sleepover scenes in TV shows where they would all tell secrets and play truth or dare. The majority of them employed the frozen bra trick. I loved it all. I just really wish that I did not have a problem with sleepovers. I wished that I could just go and enjoy myself and NOT be scared. I wished I could be like the people I knew. I wish I could be more like the people I knew on TV and on paper. I even got nervous just thinking about myself in those situations and having to stay over.

Luckily, I had parents that would not let me concede to that fear and made me go to every single one at least for a little bit even if I could not stay over, although most of the time I did. Now you know about what my biggest fear was but now let me tell you about a nightmare.

Unfortunately, my school had the tradition of doing a three-day trip every fall for the 6th, 7th, and 8th grade. Two of these were to an outdoor school and the other one was in Williamsburg. I dreaded every single fall that I would have to go away. I would hope and pray to break something in my body or have something happen that would prevent me from going. But again, my parents always forced me to go and I am glad they did. It would have been embarrassing to be the only person in the entire grade to not go and miss out on those memories.

These memories and good times from these trips are still talked about years later-- like someone peeing their pants never gets old! It will never not be funny.

I started to do better even though they still were not my favorite thing and I'm sure this won't come to a surprise but I almost got out of a chorus trip by not telling my parents about it in the first place. That is until my mom found out about the trip the morning of since she worked at my school. I could never get anything past her for that reason.

My grandparents would not have made me go but again, my parents did and I am thankful for that reason. You need to be pushed to your limits. It's not fun sitting there and having everyone discuss in great detail an experience you missed out on. I was able to go to college and stay there for months on end and find my way. I can not help but think if I was not forced to get over my fear I would have had a rougher time in college. Now that I look back and hindsight is 20/20.

I realize that I did not like sleepovers because I did not want to miss out on anything with my family or miss any time that I could have had with my grandparents or other immediate family. I did not like sleepovers for the same reason my parents encouraged me to attend them.

Now I can look back on all the sleepless nights, all the tears, all of the embarrassment, coaxing from other school faculty, but now with laughs. Fears that you thought would haunt you for all of your days eventually die and you realize they never had any place in your life. Not one fear is ever world ending, unless you let it be.

Sleepovers in college. Food on food.