Young Fears 24: Totem Poles?

Each October I like to run a series of Halloween-themed posts on this blog. All this month, I'll be telling anecdotes about things which frightened me while growing up.

I am not afraid of totem poles. Let that be understood.

You see, there was a time when my mother thought I was. But no, not really. Totem poles were not and are not scary. I've had a pair of miniature totem poles in my possession since early childhood and I truly treasure them. However, one summer vacation my family went out to Vancouver where quite a few totem poles can be seen. As we drove past a few one morning and my parents pointed them out, I remarked, "They look like something from Scooby-Doo."

My mother did not appreciate that remark. As I mentioned in earlier installments, she held some concern about what kind of media I was being exposed to, especially of a supernatural bend. This, then, proved to be the final straw. No more Scooby-Doo - ever! I think it was about the same time she made the same decision about the Smurfs. And while that might sound ridiculous to you, living in the everything-goes all-is-permissable 21st century, I respected my mother's authority and obeyed her wishes. In this, as in all things she forbade my siblings from watching, I did not watch those programs again.

I mean, until I was old enough that I wasn't living under her roof. But see, by then, you don't actually want to watch Scooby-Doo, y'know?