Fear & Danger The World According to Kids

When you're young, everything's an adventure.

We're growing, bursting with ideas.

And facing fresh challenges every single day.

Stand back and make sure you're wearing your goggles.

I'm from one of six groups of children all over the country

who are filming their lives.

Eoin! Eoin!

Oliver, are you all right?

From high-rise tower blocks...

Hi! Bye! My room is so big.

..to our remotest island.

I love Mull!

Stop it! Stop it!

We were only kissing.

I know, but stop it!

For six months, we've had cameras in our homes, clubs.

We've even filmed ourselves.

Whoa!

-To share moments of love...

-You all right, darling?

..loss and drama.

I told her I'm not saying a word.

-Through our own eyes...

-GUNSHOT

..giving us a big voice.

-CLASS: Whoa!

-Let me count. Let me count this!

To tell you what we really think of the world.

Wow, my mum's the tooth fairy. That's shocking.

This week, how we see fear and danger.

We're all going to die!

There's growing pains...

There's 11 and 12-year-old kids who scare me quite a lot.

..a push for independence...

The most important thing about getting older is trying new things.

Listen and look both ways.

..and facing our fears of failure.

I'm doing this so I won't fail.

Whoa, that felt weird! I want to do it and I don't want to do it.

Go on!

Fear is when you're scared.

In some ways, fear is exciting, but in some ways, it's dangerous.

Cos I'm going to secondary school next year,

I'm scared if I get bullied or, like, picked on.

Well, on a scale of one to ten,

my fear of failure is probably about eight.

My biggest fear would probably be,

um...dogs, cos most of the time,

they're bigger than me and it makes me feel really weird.

If I could visit a planet in this spaceship,

I'd probably go to Pluto.

I think being an astronaut would be quite cool,

cos you get to visit planets.

I'd like to be in space cos you float.

Nine-year-old Eoin lives in Gloucester

with his parents and four-year-old brother, Callum.

Hi. Callum, look, your base is under attack.

'My favourite things about myself would probably be...'

being different.

I like being different to other people.

-I'd put a pressure plate on it.

-Oh, you can have a pressure plate.

'I think I'm different because I'm smaller

'and I have a lot of different interests'

to my friends and I don't know why, but it just makes me happy.

-Eoin! Eoin!

-Eoin has a rare form of dwarfism.

Despite being smaller,

he's determined to do everything his friends do.

Eoin! Eoin! Eoin!

I like playing rugby because when I play it,

I just feel cool and I'm quite good at it cos I'm fast.

But as he gets older,

it's sometimes hard to join in with all the things his mates do.

Like rides, like Drayton Manor and places like that,

that I'm too small to go on and I've always wanted to.

And by the time I'm big enough,

they're always going on the next bigger one.

It just makes me feel really like...

like I just want to be with them sometimes.

It's kind of weird cos I'm getting older and...

..it's quite scary almost.

CHILDREN SHOUT

Eoin attends a weekly rehearsal at the Kaleidoscope drama group.

If you can see a job you think you'd like, go and put the outfit on.

Teaching communication and self-confidence,

the club performs a big play each year.

Drama gives me confidence. Every week, I look forward to it

cos, like, it's really exciting to go see all my friends.

I look quite cool, actually.

I've got loads of hobbies, like singing and acting.

So, I'm not really the sporty type,

I'm more of the indoor, but having fun.

Now, what I'm going to do to these people here

is I'm going to take a simple balloon

and I am going to surprise you.

Overcoming stage fright is key to becoming a good performer.

Their coach is trying out an activity

to see if the group can turn fear into excitement.

I'm going to walk behind you

and I will pop the balloon behind one of you.

But you are not going to know which person I'm going to pop it behind.

I'm going to take a while deciding...where to go.

SHE SQUEALS

'I once went on a ghost train

'and there were things that would pop out,'

like, next to...like, from the walls, they would pop out

and it would just make you jump, but you would laugh after it happened.

CHILDREN SQUEAL AND LAUGH

Fear can be exciting, cos if you go to a funfair

and you go on a ride, you can be scared but excited.

And it's like nerves, but excitement as well,

and it, like, goes up inside you and it goes in such a rush.

Please, no!

'I'm scared of, like, being hurt,'

but I'm getting a lot more confident now.

BALLOON POPS CHILDREN SCREAM

That was loud!

Are you all right, Eoin? Are you sure? Are you OK?

Outside the safety of the drama club,

nine-year-old Eoin tries to push himself at more physical sports.

I kind of want to be able to do the things that my friends do

and that I think is really cool.

But the differences between him and his friends

are becoming more pronounced.

'One time we went rock climbing and we went to the adult section'

and they had huge, really tall towers,

and my friend was, like, up there in two seconds.

She was, like, "Come on, come up and look at this view."

I'm like, "I don't want to." I'm like, "I'm not going up there."

You don't want to go on it?

-Why's that?

-There's too many teenagers.

-There's too many teenagers. I'll stand over there by you.

-No.

'They scare me quite a lot.

'They're, like, really tall

'and they're, like, doing really weird stuff.

'I think they're scary because they could, like,

'almost get in my way, and things like that.'

What do you want to do then? Go round the edge?

It does remind him that he's different, that he is smaller,

and he doesn't ever want anybody to think that he's a baby.

When he first realised, he was three.

I was in the bathroom getting ready and I turned around

and he was behind me and he had his hands over his face

and he was just sobbing and he said, "I don't want to be little."

I just hadn't expected it yet, so I didn't know what to say to him

and I just told him, you know,

"You're exactly as you're meant to be."

And we had this discussion for a while,

then I went in the bathroom and cried my eyes out

and, you know, part of that, I think, is just normal mum stuff

and other part of it is that I DO want to protect him

and not have him go through anything...

..that might come his way.

Can we try going in the skate park again?

You want to try going in the skate park again? Come on then.

'I don't want things to scare me.

'I want to be a brave person cos then I'll get'

a lot more things done in my life.

I didn't want it to, like, take over me,

cos if I'm scared of everything,

then I won't want to be able to do anything,

but if I'm brave and go for it, I could do something, like, amazing.

-Was it good?

-Yeah.

When I, like, feel fear, I kind of feel it in my stomach.

I get a really weird feeling.

It feels like everything is dark and it's just pitch-black

and you start seeing really weird things.

I always have dreams and then usually in them dreams,

I just see a clown pop up and then I always have to open my eyes

to check if it's actually there.

From all corners of the city,

children from the Junior Cathedral Choir

make their way to weekly rehearsals.

Green light! Whoo!

I dreamt that the world turned upside down.

-You dreamt the world was up...

-Upside down.

So everyone was on their heads.

And I fell into the sea because no-one could hang on.

How about if we go through our square times table?

-Let's do 12 to 20.

-12 times 12 is 144.

13 times 13 is 169.

14 times 14 is 196.

15 times 15 is 225?

-Bravo! Very good!

-That wasn't proper.

-That was not proper.

-Very good!

PIANIST PLAYS INTRO TO MY SOUL DOTH MAGNIFY THE LORD

# My soul doth magnify the Lord... #

Founded three years ago,

the group regularly perform at special events in the region.

I like it that I can pick songs up quite quickly

and also, in my family, sometimes we just start singing

variations of the songs, with my cats in them.

# ..Lord God almighty... #

I want to be a pop star because Beyonce used to be in a choir

and that's how she become a pop star, so, yeah.

# Amen. #

24, 25, 26,

27, 28, 29, 30!

I can see you!

Nine-year-old Jade spends most of her time

playing carefree in her Toxteth cul-de-sac.

Hold on to me!

'I'd describe myself'

as a nice friend

and just very happy.

I love everybody.

Can I have some flake on the top?

-Here you are, baby girl.

-Thank you!

-Thank you.

'We live in a very crowded place

'with lots and lots of kids'

and we all have fun and we have,

like, Muslim people, we have Indian people.

This is Aveel. This is Yusuf 1.

-This is Balal.

-Bye!

-This is Jasmine.

-Hi.

-This is Tyreece.

-Ice cream.

-This is Yusuf 2.

-This is Bella and I'm Jade.

-2, Bella 2.

Although she has free run around the close,

there are still strict boundaries to where Jade can and can't go.

This is the lamp post I can't go past.

I don't go past it because my dad usually says I can't,

and I'm a good girl, so I listen to him.

And I don't go past it EVER.

And if I do go past it, I do get shouted at.

I can stand by it, but I can't go past...this lamp post over there,

but I don't really like going past it anyway, so I wouldn't go past it.

I would say the close has been...

It's big enough for her just now, but as she's ten in a week or so,

she is growing up now and I know there's going to be times

where I'll have to tie a piece of string on her

and let her go a little bit but I can still drag her in.

With her tenth birthday fast approaching,

Jade may want more independence,

but she's also apprehensive of the wider world.

The outside sometimes does scare me a little bit

cos of things going on, like crimes and, like, people getting hurt.

MOTORBIKE ENGINE ROARS

The motorbikes are back, aren't they?

Just a bit earlier tonight than normal.

They keep you up at night when you're trying to get to sleep

and it's the sound. Grrr! It scares me.

Well, one, they can't come in here and do anything.

They might crash into the fence.

I know, but they crash into the fence, they'll hurt themselves.

I can fix the fence, can't I?

It shocks you though, cos you're asleep like that. You're, like...

-All nice and peaceful.

-Then you're, like...

'I am scared easily.'

Big thing is...motorbikes

because the loud noise is really, really loud.

You never know when they're coming

and they could just come around the corner

when you're not looking and something could happen.

And that's why I'm scared of them.

One at a time. Single file.

In the cathedral practice room, the choir are exploring

how their imaginations can affect their feelings.

Hello. Today, we're going to be sitting in a semicircle.

Go! One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten,

eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen fifteen, sixteen,

seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty. Stay there. Stay there.

And then start doing that. It looks like you've got a bubble.

-Oh, my God!

-Let me do it to you.

We're going to be listening to some scary sounds today

and while we listen to them, I want you to have your eyes closed

and I want you to really form pictures in your imagination.

I've got a huge imagination.

Some sounds, you can imagine what can happen and, in real life,

that thing might not really happen.

But if you imagine it, you're thinking what COULD happen.

I think of all sorts of stories in my head

and I like thinking of stories in my head when I'm lonely,

because that kind of cheers me up.

PIERCING WHISTLING TYPE SOUND

PIERCING WHISTLING SOUND CONTINUES

SOUND STOPS

It was quite annoying, actually, that one.

I thought it was quite scary

because I was imagining this really scary story in morse code.

I always imagine very scary things.

And then it started giving me a really bad headache.

-Yeah, it's really annoying.

-I know, very annoying.

Er, so, we've got lots of people laughing.

-Do you want to listen to another sound?

-ALL: Yeah!

Do you want it to be scarier? More scary or less scary?

-Scarier!

-Less.

'Fear - I think what it looks like is danger.'

You see, like, red and not really that much colours

cos colours is like rainbows, happy stuff.

So, please, eyes closed for those brave enough to do it

and let's wait until we listen to our sound.

LOUD WHIRRING, CLANGING AND WOBBLING SOUND

(Eyes closed.)

(Eyes closed.)

I don't think I want to do it any more.

(Do you not want to do it any more?)

When I'm scared, the things that go on in my head is just crazy.

It's like...

loosing the plot and it's just crazy.

Have a little break. You're totally fine.

You don't really need a real danger to be scared in a safe place,

cos my house is a safe place - I know that -

but I can still be scared of it.

Anybody who doesn't like it, you don't have to stay at all.

My biggest fear in life,

it's probably growing up and going to a new stage in life.

I'm, like, terrified of clowns. I don't like them,

and I've been scared of the dark since I was little,

so I won't go upstairs in my house if it's dark

because I'm just terrified of it.

I'm quite worried and scared someone might kidnap me...

..or I might just get lost.

CHILD SHOUTS OUT EXCITEDLY

Off the west coast of Scotland, with its mountains and beaches...

This is beach-tastic!

..the Isle of Mull is the ultimate children's playground.

I'm quite lucky to live on Mull. I've got a lot of freedom.

I can just go off and play in the fields and chase sheep.

-We get to live in the most beautiful island.

-Me too.

-Bye, Mummy.

-Bye, honey, have a good day.

-Bye.

-Wave bye-bye to Tilda. Bye-bye.

-Bye.

If you look really, really close, you can see a star in the water.

Growing up on Mull is...really good.

Yes, I do feel very free. I feel like a burst of freedom.

I love Mull!

Except the tourists.

Whoa!

SHE SCREAMS

Excellent. So, chat to your partner. What are you going to do?

Ulva Primary has a single class of just eight pupils,

aged from five to ten years old.

-Ooh, Matilda?

-Yeah.

-Blue and yellow make green.

-I know.

-Yeah, I know.

-Let's do it slightly quicker.

Kate, you don't have to.

I really, really, really need you to work with me,

otherwise we won't get this done.

Children are like...annoying little dwarves.

They're very annoying cos some of them can be quite polite

and some of them can be very naughty

and some of them can be weird.

-Bruce, are you scared of dogs?

-Yes.

What if it was a police and it said, "You have to meet my dog",

what would you say? And if you said, "No", he would arrest you.

So, what would you do? Would you have to say, "Yes"?

Yeah, I'd have to say, "Yes."

And what if the police said, "It's a very nice dog to children"?

-Would you go and stroke it?

-Yeah.

-What if it bit you?

Um...

These days, telescopes can only see as far as the moon.

These telescopes in the future can see much, much further.

They can see 40 times further.

CHICKENS CLUCK

These are the chickens.

..Four, five, six.

And there's one egg, right really inside, near the door.

Five-year-old Bruce lives on his family's smallholding

and has much more space to roam than most city kids his age.

I never want to change houses with this one,

cos I really like this house, cos we live right in front of a beach.

Whee!

I feel like I've got freedom

because we're sort of, like, living in the middle of nowhere.

It's quite fun because you can just play around.

I think like I'm more special living here.

BRUCE HUMS

Bruce doesn't just explore on foot,

he lets his imagination run wild too.

First time I teleported,

I teleported to China to get some noodles.

The second time I teleported, I went to Australia to go surfboarding

and have a nice hot sunbathe and also have an ice cream.

Can you see me? I'm right here.

When I got tired, instead of sitting down, I fell.

I fell on the ground.

Wait, but it wasn't ground. I was flying.

My imagination does sometimes freak me out.

Argh!

Uh-oh, it happened again.

Help!

Daddy, help!

-Sounds like he's an evil dentist.

-The dangers. God.

In the classroom,

the group are talking about common childhood worries.

OK, Bruce, your turn.

Bruce has always lived in the same home...

OK, there's no real reason to fear that.

..and has chosen moving house as his big fear.

Well...

If the house moves,

-it could probably be the wind.

-No!

So, like, say you lived right over there somewhere,

in one of the houses, well, now you've moved up to Ballygown.

Were you scared about that? No?

I was a baby when we moved house.

Well, the thing is is that there is a sort of reason to fear,

cos if you're moving from here to Salen,

-you might fear losing your friends.

-Or maybe if you move...

No, maybe moving here to America - that might be more...

That would be very scary.

OK, or maybe moving to Spain, cos that's a bit scary,

moving to Spain, because that has got tornadoes.

-Totally different, different from here.

-Can I say one thing though?

Because when I saw my house, I was freaked out,

because my house was horrible.

Things that freak me out...

If I'm older and I work for space,

I might go into space and I'll get scared.

I might get hit by a meteor...

..and I might get sucked in by a black hole

or I might run out of air.

So, anyone who thinks there's a reason

to fear moving house, hands up.

One, two, three...

-And no real reason to fear?

-I don't think there's a reason to fear.

Bruce? Matilda? Do you think there's a reason to fear moving house?

-Yeah.

-OK, so that's a reason to fear.

Chorister Jade has reached a landmark in her life.

-JADE'S MUM LAUGHS

-I'm laughing!

-CHEERING

-Whoo, whoo! Whoo!

What have you got, Jade?

-I got an iPhone!

-JADE SQUEALS

-So, what does this mean?

-I can phone people!

THEY LAUGH

What's the first thing you're going to do with the phone?

-Put a pass code, so Mum can't go on it.

-Ooh!

Mum, can I get Snapchat and just have friends like Bella?

-Can we just get used to the phone first for you...

-OK.

..before you start Snapchatting?

All these social things that I am not on.

-I want to take a photo of Balal, I don't know why.

-Straightaway.

-Daddy! Mummy!

-Say hi.

She's ten! She's two figures!

What are we going to do? Her life's flashing in front of me.

No, she is growing up so much and she is sensible,

but at the same time, she is just a child and, you know,

I would want her to stay a child, be a child and just, you know, play.

Stand there.

I suppose we'll welcome everything that's got to come, really,

even though it is reluctantly.

People don't get me when I say I'm excited to grow up

but I'm scared to grow up. I'm scared about the responsibilities.

What you doing? Oh, no, gosh!

-Just shush, Pie Face!

-Stop!

'Something about being older, because I don't want to grow up,'

but it's about getting taller and I want to be tall.

LAUGHTER

You don't want to grow up?

Never. Cos then, you have to take care of yourself,

you have to leave your mum and dad to get a new home,

and then you can only see your mum and dad at, like, weekends,

but I want to stay.

Cos excitement is like, "Yes! Yes!",

but fear is, like, "I don't want to do it, I don't want to do it!

"No, don't make me!"

I can control my fear, like. I can control how I feel,

but sometimes, like, when you're really scared,

it just feels like you're just erupting.

I think it's important to overcome fears

because if you don't really overcome fears,

you're never really going to do anything that you really want to do.

At the drama class,

the children are sharing some of their greatest fears.

I'm scared of heights, clowns and the last one's quite a funny one.

I'm scared of spilt-over milk.

-LAUGHTER

-I hate it.

Tell me more.

I don't know why it makes me feel scared,

but if I see spilt-over milk, I'll run away.

I'd say I'm quite scared of the dark,

but the problem is is that I'm too small

to reach any of the light switches upstairs,

so when I'm going up to do stuff, it really...

like, gives me the creeps, cos I can't reach the light switches,

so I just have to wait till someone comes up or shout at them.

But it's quite annoying having to go upstairs in the dark

-and know you can't turn on the lights.

-Mm.

'The occupational therapists put in a banister on the wall for me

'and they also got me steps to get in my bath.'

Changes are being made to Eoin's house

to help him gain more independence.

Cos I'm nine and I don't want to keep having my mum

lifting me in and lifting me out.

It's starting the get to the point now

where he wants to do the dishes, therefore the stool.

You know, if you want to do it, I'm not going to stop you!

As Eoin gets older and his body grows,

he's starting to face challenges on long walks too.

I'll hand it to you. You can hold it for me.

'I get really, really tired when I walk around

'and I just hate walking long distances.'

The back of my legs hurt and it can get really, like, uncomfortable

and I have to sit down for, like, ten minutes

and then it goes away and then I walk for a bit longer.

I'll carry the tablecloth in.

'Eoin has started to say things like his legs hurts,

'things that he hasn't ever complained about before,'

and he's genuine cos he doesn't really complain about pain

unless he really has it, so, you know, we're watching that.

With his pains becoming more frequent,

Eoin's mum has booked an appointment with the occupational therapist

to try to find a solution for him.

At the cathedral, overcoming fears is being put to the test.

Let me tell you a bit about what's going to happen.

So, there are four people outside and they don't know

what is inside each of these three tubes

and if they're up for the challenge,

they're going to put their hand inside of this jar

and they're going to feel around until they find something inside it

that they have to retrieve.

What do you think could be in these tubes?

-Spiders.

-Don't even say that!

-Sorry.

-Or sand.

Spiders. Loads and loads and loads of spiders.

Or goo. Or goo or something really eurgh.

-Spiders on the floor.

-Like, really eurgh!

Eurgh! Eurgh!

Come in, Meira.

'I really like winning.'

I wouldn't say this counts as winning,

but I went for my grade 1 singing exam and I got the highest mark

in the region out of all three of my friends - 142 out of 150 -

so, I felt that I definitely won there.

In this middle tube is something that you might find frightening.

-Do you want to accept your challenge or...?

-I'm not sure.

-You can do it!

-You can do it, Meira!

-We believe in you!

-Just put your hand in.

We believe in you.

Have faith in yourself that you can be brave enough

because you can do anything when you set your mind to it.

You don't have to do it if you don't want to.

I want to do it and I don't want to do it.

I just have an odd feeling

that, if I'm going to do it and say, "No, I don't want to do it,"

somebody else is going to prove they CAN do it.

Well, I'm scared of the dark, I'm claustrophobic,

I'm scared of getting lost,

I'm scared of spiders and I'm scared of being unsuccessful.

For nine-year-old Meira, her school morning starts early.

I wake up at 5.50 in the morning.

Then I snuggle in my mum and dad's bed from 5.50 to 6 o'clock.

Then I do my Bible study from 6 o'clock to 6.10.

And then I do something called Kumon,

which is just my work

and I have my English...

..and my maths.

And after I do that, I have a shower

and I get dressed in my school uniform.

Then I have my piano practice from 7.30 to 8 o'clock

and then I go to school.

These are all my medals.

This one was one that I got for my work - my English and maths -

and I got a silver.

This one I got for a rock-and-roll fun run

and this one is for a poetry competition that I won.

# There was a jolly miller once

# Lived on the River Dee... #

She does strive to be the best, without a shadow of a doubt.

Maybe it's instilled by me, in the sense I've grown up

in a culture where we do not know or like failure.

We want her to be an independent, successful person

who can look after herself

and, perhaps, maintain the lifestyle we've given her to carry on.

# No, not I

# If nobody cares for me. #

Then I'll cut it off.

Meira's father is a surgeon and she hopes

to one day follow in his medial footsteps.

I really want to become a vet when I'm older

and I know I have to work hard

to be able to become one, so I study a lot.

Otherwise, I prefer reading.

So, what have you done?

What I have I taught you before about how to strap a leg?

You said to take it around the waist and then put it on the leg.

Very good. So, how much have you given yourself, points out of ten?

-Nine.

-Nine?

-Yeah.

OK, I'll tell you why it's a little lower than nine,

-because you've got to see all the toes, right? Do you know why?

-No.

If your bandage is too tight, the leg swells up

and you've got to be able to watch the toes

to check whether there's any swelling,

if there's blood flowing and if everything is OK.

-OK.

-That's pretty good though.

Meira's recently been pushing extra hard

to try to pass an upcoming entrance exam

to one of the top schools in the North-west.

I think moving school would be a bit scary, a bit nerve-racking.

I'm a bit nervous, really excited

and a bit taken aback, all at the same time.

This is my Harry Potter Time-Turner.

Hermione Granger uses it because she can't do all her subjects at once,

so what she does is she uses the Time-Turner

so she can visit all the subjects she missed.

I wish I had one, cos I could finish all my work in time then as well.

To me, "failing" is a very bad word

because failing means you're very unsuccessful

and I don't want to be unsuccessful.

I'm doing this so I won't fail.

So, failing - I don't like failing.

OK, decision time, Meira.

Are you going to face the unknown or are you going to pass?

CHILDREN WHISPER A CHANT: Meira! Meira! Meira! Meira!

-I'll do it.

-Go on then.

-CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

-I'll try.

-Go for it.

This is just so weird.

Eurgh, that felt weird! I don't like that, I don't like that!

-Grab it and then throw it on the floor.

-It just feels so weird.

I'm sure you can do this.

-What type of thing is it?

-You don't have to if you don't want to.

-MALE TEACHER:

-You're almost there. That's it, that's it. You've got it.

Have you pulled it out?

SHOUTING AND LAUGHTER

-What is it? A spoon?

-That is not at all scary!

-Give her a clap.

Oh, my God!

So, compare how you feel now

to how you felt about two minutes ago before you'd done it.

Well, I felt really scared at first,

because I thought, "Ooh, I think I might not do this."

I was a bit unsure and then I realised

that if anybody else could do it, why can't I do it?

When your mind plays tricks on you, it's, like...

there's nothing really there,

but your mind's telling you that there is.

If the water's really dark and I'm the only one in the water

or I look down and the water's just, like, really dark,

I keep thinking there's something going to come up

and eat me and drag me down.

My head's telling me that...

I don't know why, but it just tells me that I should be scared.

I'm, like, "No, I don't want to be scared. I can't be scared."

SHE GASPS AND SCREAMS

Nine-year-old Eoin's recently been struggling with leg pain

on long family days out.

Today, he's come to see his occupational therapist,

as they have something to help.

OK. And then there's that and a footrest there.

When I first heard I'm getting a wheelchair,

I was, like, "Oh, that's cool."

And then I think about it and I'm, like, "A wheelchair?! Really?!"

-I feel really unstable.

-You feel unstable?

-Yeah, weird.

Hold on, you're not going to fall out - you've got a seatbelt on.

All right? Bit rough, isn't it?

-You want to go over this bump?

-Um, OK. Try it.

No, no, no, no.

-Got ya!

-I don't like that.

-Do you not like it? Sorry.

'When I just think about seeing people in wheelchairs

'and everyone stares at them and things like that,'

I don't want that to happen to me.

-CHILD:

-Why's he in a wheelchair?

It's for him when we go on long days out,

cos he gets really tired walking.

-CHILD'S MUM:

-I bet your arms get tired though, don't they?

-Yeah, so for step we take, he has to take two.

-Oh!

-You just need to get used to it.

-Do I look weird?

No, you don't look weird.

-You look fine.

-Are you just saying that cos you're my mum?

No, I'm not just saying that because I'm your mum.

You don't look weird, Eoin.

I think I would describe fear, like,

where you feel almost left out

and, like, really, um...

..shaky and things.

It's hard to manage it but it's good practice.

'I try to face things that kind of make me miss out on things.'

Like all my friends are going down the ramps at the skate park

and I was quite scared to go down them and then I tried it

and then, after a while, it felt really easy.

-Got it?

-Yeah.

-Mum, I did it!

-Yeah, that was good. Well done.

-It's very hard not to hit those things.

-Yeah.

Eoin's only planning to sit in the wheelchair

-at the end of long days out.

-Oh, right on.

But he now knows it's there whenever he feels the need.

-Just pull back.

-Pull back. Oh, right.

-It just goes down like that.

Cool, it's fine like that. A little bit heavy.

'I think about being different.'

I just think it's, like, OK.

Cos you're different, it's not a big deal.

It's not like it's the end of the world that you're different.

At Eoin's drama class, a prop has been left...

..to see if the group will fear the consequences of breaking the rules.

"Do not press."

Sometimes when I'm hyper, I break rules.

I'll get a bit hyper and then I talk back to someone,

which I sometimes find quite funny.

ALARM SOUNDS AND CHILDREN SHOUT

The reason we go to school is to learn the rules

and what not to do so you don't make those mistakes when you're older,

and then it will ruin things that you do,

so you could go to jail or something,

cos you weren't following the rules.

We're all going to die!

ALARM SOUNDS AND CHILDREN SHOUT

I get peer pressure quite a lot when my friends do things like that

and then they try to encourage me and I have to do it.

I almost feel like I need to.

ALARM SOUNDS

"Do not press."

ALARM SOUNDS AND CHILDREN SHOUT

On the Isle of Mull, the pupils are also faced with the warning.

Five-year-olds Matilda and Bruce are the youngest in the class.

Don't press. "Do not press".

-Why do you not have to press that anyway?

-Cos you're only four.

The red button - I don't know what it would do,

but I could probably have a big, big think

and think so much that my brain will explode.

Maybe that's the new fire alarm.

Eddie, look. "Don't..."

"Press". "Press".

-Eddie, don't press that.

-Don't press that red button.

Kate!

-Don't!

-(Don't press it.)

Do not press it. I know what it is, but do not press it.

-WHISPERING

-(Don't touch it.)

WHISPERING

Do not touch. I know what it is, but do not touch.

Parents usually do rules because...

Mainly, they're safety rules,

like, "Don't go over to those rocks because they are super slippy.

"Don't forget to close the gate."

All those safety rules are quite important,

but some aren't that important.

I've never broken a rule except once, when I stole a chip.

A chip.

-What's happening?

-We don't know what this is.

-There's a "Do not touch" sign with the red button.

-OK.

I don't want to press it but then I do want to press it.

Why do you want to press it?

Cos it's big and red and I want to see what it does.

Adults make up a lot of rules that are fair and unfair.

Bruce, you and Matilda were in the room first.

Matilda, Bruce, why did you not press the button?

Because we didn't know what it was going to do.

-And it says, "Do not press".

-OK.

My own rules are, "Don't get lost...

"..don't eat too much food

"and don't eat too many sugary things."

Why don't we all put our hands on the button and press it together?

CHILDREN: Yeah, yeah!

I don't really agree.

Matilda and Bruce, why don't you want to press it?

Because it might be something that we're not allowed to do.

It would be quite scary to break the rules

because someone would get in trouble.

If we all hold hands, one hand, and then we put our other hand on,

will you do it?

-Come on.

-I don't want anyone to press it.

Oh, but everyone wants to press it!

No, I don't think we should touch it.

-Let's not touch it. No!

-HE GROANS

-This is boring! It's always your decision.

-It's OUR decision.

This has become our favourite page, hasn't it,

-with people extremely excited about their results?

-Yeah.

Meira recently took an exam

to get into one of the top schools in the North-west.

Despite her fears of failure, she performed well and got in.

-My acceptance letter.

-Is that your acceptance letter?

-Yeah.

I'm moving school because I think Mummy wants me to...

because my dream ambition is to become a vet

and I think Mummy wants to give me more of a chance to become one.

Meira had to work quite hard.

If you want to aim for universities like Cambridge,

you have to work very, very hard,

so it's better to be in a place where you can handle pressure.

-One of the best girls' schools...

-In the world?

Well, it's rated as one of the top ten schools in the UK.

So, it's scary, exciting, and I'm nervous.

Scary, exciting, nerve-racking.

-So, there is no gain without...

-Pain.

-Quite right.

In my new school,

I think it's going to be way more competitive than it is already.

My friends already say I'm pretty competitive but then I feel like,

"Don't worry, friends, I'll bring you one of my friends

"from my new school and you'll see who is competitive."

To be nearer to the school,

Meira's family have made the decision to move to Manchester.

I'm very happy and very sad as well. I'm very happy that they've done it,

but I'm very sad I've got to leave my friends.

It's a good thing at a young age to learn to move to new places,

because you're going to do that when you're older,

so you have to learn to be adaptable, isn't it?

-Hopefully, I will.

-No, "YES, I will!"

-I said, "Yes."

-Not "Hopefully, I will." "Yes, I will."

The bond with my friends is basically, literally, unbreakable.

I mean, it just feels really bad to leave them, almost,

with only two years left in school.

I even asked Mummy, "Can't I just move

"when it's time for senior school?"

She said, "No, I want you to move now."

I was just, like, "Why?

"Why can't I just spend the last two years with my friends?"

-Are you all excited?

-Yeah.

-Are you all excited?

You'll have a great time, and the best thing is meeting new friends.

Before Meira can make new friends,

she's saying goodbye to the ones she's leaving behind.

A tea party is being held in her honour.

She's going to Manchester,

-which is why we're having a little celebration.

-Yes.

Not really a celebration. It's sad.

It's a celebration to get rid of Meira.

-It's not!

-That would be stupid!

'I've made loads of close friends at school

'and leaving them's really difficult because I've been with them'

for a really long time and it's hard to leave people like that.

Meira, I want to ask you a question.

What was your favourite cake or scone

or anything that you had today?

The Victoria sponge cake.

That's just how stupid they are.

-Stupid!

-You are the most stupid of all.

MEIRA LAUGHS

I didn't really want to leave at first,

but then I realised it's a good chance for me,

so in a way I want to, in a way I don't want to at all.

I'm going to miss Meira because she's been a great friend

and also I will never, ever forget your funniest times.

We're all going to be crying tomorrow.

-We really don't want Meira to leave.

-Yeah.

It makes me kind of sad

because it makes me feel like I don't want to leave you. Yeah.

It feels as if, like my heart's dipped down really, really low,

almost into my stomach, because you just have that feeling

that you're never going to see them again.

'As many times as people say it,

'you're just not going to see them again and it makes you feel'

like this is just really upsetting.

I just can't leave them.

-ALL: Cheeeeeeese!

-My kneeeeees!

At the drama group,

Eoin and his friends are being asked to tackle their phobias.

Under this cloth are giant cockroaches.

CHILDREN GASP AND SQUEAL

-Yes!

-No!

-Awesome!

Ooh, I can see them. They don't look gross.

What's next?

-Is a stick insect next?

-Under this cover...

..is a house spider.

It's rather a large house spider.

-It's tiny.

-Where is it?

-That's tiny. It's there.

-I can't even see it.

That's absolutely tiny.

OK, under here is a giant tarantula.

CHILDREN SHOUT AND SCREAM

Seriously?

-I think you have one in your ear!

-OK...

-CHILDREN GASP AND SHOUT

-It's huge!

-Who here is feeling really scared?

-Middle.

I think you get braver as you're older

cos you can't be born brave and, like, do everything.

Nothing really scares me.

It's like, if you don't think about all the negatives,

nothing can scare you so, yeah...

-It's on my hand.

-Keep your hands still. Don't pull your hands away.

Well done.

I'm doing it!

The thing is, with fear, I suppose you have to really overcome it,

so fear's sort of something good, actually.

That's it. Shake hands.

Well done.

'When I'm older, I want to be a scientist or an actor.'

I'm going to try not to let fear get in my way of my goals.

Just touch through the end. You come to me.

Expectations do drive me on in a way,

because it's a bit like they're pointing the way,

they're showing you that you've got to do this to get to this,

so it drives you somewhere and you eventually get to your destination.

Put your hands flat.

Can you see his eyes on the top, look?

If you worry too much, really it's not a good thing to worry,

because you miss out on all the happy things

and the exciting things that you can do.

If you look underneath, can you see his fangs?

-Eurgh!

-It's got fangs.

In Liverpool, Jade is ready to face

her fear of the world outside her cul-de-sac.

The thought of going to the newsagent's shop is exciting

and also, it's scary.

So, we're going to the shop.

This rite of passage will involve crossing the road by herself

for the very first time.

It's bound to be expected now

that she wants to go a bit further afield

and go on a little adventure more.

And I think we have to let her.

It's like that throwing them in at the deep end.

We do have to let her go out there and experience some of it.

It's how far she wants to go.

-Probably by her age, I was going to town.

-That's your age, that.

I just need to say that was the olden days.

You need to stay there.

So, you know what to do, what you do when you get to the road?

-Listen and look both ways.

-OK.

'The most important thing about getting older

'is trying new things because, usually,'

if you are scared of something and you do overcome it,

it's really like you're not really scared of it any more

and you can do it if you want to.

Oops, oops, she's doing it. She's gone for it.

-Yeah!

-I had little butterflies in my tummy then.

'It does feel special when you're overcoming your fear'

because it's like conquering the world and you know that you did it

and you're proud that you did it and you're really happy that you did it.

Pooh! Whoo!

JADE'S MUM LAUGHS

-I did it, I did it, I did it!

-I know. How do you feel?

Ooh, I don't know!

THEY LAUGH

-Next time...

-Yeah, but you still can't cheat in a test.

..how kids see right from wrong.

-I vote for silence.

-Silence.

-There's temptation...

-But I'm still thinking I want to peek.

-..questions of retaliation...

-I want to pop their head.

..and pressure from their peers.

We're dividing the money, OK?