How my childhood was ruined... by my fear of peas

Sign up to our free Living Well email for advice on living a happier, healthier and longer life Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A mother-of-two who has had a crippling fear of peas since being force-fed them at school has said her “terror” at the sight of them causes her to have panic attack-like symptoms and her phobia “stunted her childhood” as she did not want to visit friends’ houses in case they were served. “It’s such a weird thing to be scared of, but I am genuinely scared of peas.” Maddy, who likes all other green vegetables, thinks her fear comes from when she was at private school at age four and was forced by her teachers to eat her peas. She said: “It mentally scarred me really badly – from that moment on, I was scared to go over to friends’ houses in case their parents served peas. She said: “Looking back, I think it’s the texture, the taste, basically everything that comes with peas I hated, as well as the trauma from school.” Maddy’s phobia also impacts her work – she is a money educator on TikTok and is currently creating a money saving tips app, Mad About Money, which launches on May 1.