When you become a parent, you realize in an instant that you’re going to worry about everything, all the time, forever. It’s one of the things you sign up for, even if you don’t truly get the 24/7 nature of it until it’s too late to back out.

The truth is, most of those worries will never come to pass – but it’s almost inevitable that some scary things will happen – and these 12 people found out firsthand just how terrifying parenting can get.

12. There are dangers everywhere.

And yeah, they will find a way to encounter them every day.

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11. They often surprise us with their strength.

But being away from your sick child is a special kind of torture.

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10. It’s like you can’t breathe.

And you definitely can’t relax.

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9. Choking is so common, too.

Brush up on that Heimlich maneuver, people.

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8. I would have crapped my pants.

Talk about a do or die moment.

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7. You never realized how scary stairs could be before now.

And they’re literally everywhere.

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6. You can try.

It will only get harder as they get older.

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5. NICU parents have deep reservers of strength.

Babies are just so helpless.

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4. There’s nothing harder in the world.

Unimaginable, actually.

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3. You’ve got to be cognizant literally all of the time.

They will drink anything they can get their hands on.

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2. It’s true this is a special kind of anxiety.

You could ruin their childhood if you trip over a toy!

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1. They all do it, too.

Like they have meetings about how to freak out the adults when we’re not looking.

Image Credit: Whisper

No one wants things like this to happen to them, but it will probably happen to all of us – so take note.

What’s the scariest thing that’s ever happened to you as a parent? Share the story with us down in the comments!