Fears

Poor little Monkey.  He is absolutely petrified of spiders.  I'm not talking about the childish screams that it seems all children do at one point or other when they see a bug that they don't want around them, I'm talking, honest to goodness fear.


Tonight Monkey and Sunshine were going in and out the backdoor to play on the deck.  Sunshine does that high pitched "Eeehhhh" sound "Mommmyyyy, there's a really big bug out here."  The sound that makes most moms sigh and think, just step on the darn thing!  Monkey isn't saying anything but he is hiding behind her; she might be annoying but she does work well as a shield!  I head on out wondering if it's going to be a bee (fly) or a bug.  I look at the deck floor and see a little bit of old brown leaf that has been smashed, it doesn't look like a leaf, but it definitely doesn't look like a bug.  "This?  That's not a bug."  "NO, there!"  She points at the side of the house and sure enough, there's a 4" long praying mantis.  Holy s**t!  I'd say that's a big bug!  I calmly say, "Wow!  It's a praying mantis!  I've never seen one before." I called Hubby out (who brought his camera) and we all looked at the "bug" that had decided to rest on the side of our house.  They were very interested and I was very impressed that they weren't scared once I told them what it was.


Fast forward 20 minutes.


Sunshine and Monkey are out in the yard playing.  Hubby is out there with them and I'm in the house getting dinner ready.  All of a sudden I hear a half scream half cry come out of Monkey.  It was the sound of one who was truly scared.  I ran outside and saw him looking at the corner of the deck step.  He was trembling and making little crying sounds, but not actually crying.  I look and all I see is a spider web.  I knew, it was the spider web.  "What's wrong?"  "Spider!  Spider!"  I make Hubby knock the web down and tell him it's just the spider's web and that there isn't a spider there.  He comes inside with me and is still scared.  I walk about 2' from him and he starts crying again while screaming, "Spider!"  Where?  He is pointing at his shirt and I don't see a spider or anything that could be a spider.  He then says it's on his pants.  Off come his pants.  He continues to cry and says it's on his arm.  I think at this point he is probably feeling one of my many hairs.  I tell him that and he seems to be OK with that, but he is still pretty upset.


This isn't the first or the second or even the third time this has happened.  I'd say it's either an extreme fear or a phobia.  I'm hoping I didn't do this to him.  I am scared of spiders but I'm always (at least I think I am) calm and just kill them if they're in the house.  If they're outside, we don't kill them, I just walk away from them.  I make sure I tell the kids that they're outside where they belong.  For Sunshine's sake I have "released" a spider or 2 into the wild again.



I just can't figure it out, he was so calm about the huge mantis, but the thought of a spider put him over the edge.  My poor baby.

Right by the back door.

Vicky