DEAR ABBY: Because my father delighted in scaring me when I was only 2 -- I am 57 now -- I am afraid of deep water, heights and also nighttime. I will not walk down an unlighted country road, let alone go into the basement of a house at night. Although the streets in my neighborhood are well lighted, I avoid walking past homes with a hedge extending to the main sidewalk. If a car is parked in the driveway, I walk near the curb. If anyone comes unannounced to my home at night, I will not answer the door.
When I was in the service, one of my roommates thought I was joking when I told him about my fear of the dark. One night he put his arm on my shoulder. I was so badly frightened, I flipped him over my head. He was 6 feet 2 inches and weighed more than 250 pounds. I'm just 6 feet tall and weighed 170. It took seven men to haul me off him. They tell me I was using his head for a football. He was hospitalized for more than two months.
I wish my dad had gotten counseling when I was 2. I wonder why he didn't -- and why he refused to grow up. -- AFRAID OF THE DARK
DEAR AFRAID: At this point, so do millions of other people -- including me.