We have an inordinate number of spiders in our house. It's not like "Arachnophobia" or anything, but we probably find one crawling on the wall weekly. Spiders totally freak R out, so I have to deal with them. I have now learned to recognize the sharp intake of breath that is her trademark reaction to seeing a spider. Without exchanging a word, I can follow her gaze to locate the invader. I guess it's nice to feel needed. However, when I'm not around, she somehow musters up the courage to take care of it on her own.Recently, we found one crawling on the bed. I'll admit, it's quite startling, but I couldn't understand the absolute terror. I asked, "What's it going to do to you? It probably doesn't bite or anything."
R said, "I don't know why it's so scary, it just is." She also mentioned the disgusting possibility -- no matter how remote -- that you might swallow one. This idea had only occurred to her recently, because someone told her that you swallow, on average, eight spiders per year.
I thought that sounded ridiculous, and I went on this long rant about it. Eight spiders? That's nearly one per month! Ridiculous, I tell you.
I looked it up and yes, it is bunk. This is one of the articles I found:
http://www.yesmag.bc.ca/Questions/Spiders.html
What self-respecting predator would hurl itself into the jaws of a sleeping foe on a regular basis? Just goes to show that you shouldn't believe everything you hear. R wants me to make it clear that she didn't believe the spidercide stats, but it grossed her out all the same.
(This posting has nothing to do with babies, pregnancy, doulas or layettes.)
2 comments:
I used to be afraid of spiders until I volunteered at a school assembly about animals in the 5th grade. I volunteered when posed this need: I need a brave girl.
I walked up to the front of the stage where previously there had been an ostrich, a porcupine etc, and was handed a tarantula the size of my hand. I couldn't freak out---my pride and all---and I had to hold it on my hand and show EVERY kid in EVERY row of that very large gym...ever since then I am not afraid of spiders
Don't ever underestimate the multi-legged, nasty set. A girl we know had a cockroach climb into her ear while she was asleep. No one had any idea what was causing her such pain until the ear doctor looked down the ear canal and saw it waving at him.
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