Parents are supposed to be better at rising above it, setting an example for observant children who whine only because they haven't perfected better forms of expression. Unfortunately, setting a good example is only one of many imperatives that I juggle at any given time.
As an adult, I can still be jump-scared, but instead of acting frightened I just get aggravated. What an inconvenience to be reminded that I still have half a lizard brain, which interprets ordinary creatures as boogeymen when they come at me without warning.
