Entomology

I don't know how I managed it, but through some sleight of hand or an act of God, I have avoided passing my mortal fear of spiders on to my kids. I have forced myself to stand still, remain calm, and squash my instinct that says RUN, RUN FAST! I am so grateful that they are not afraid because now I have three people on whom I can call to come get the spider for me. Whoo-hoo!


The downside of this is that I now have to actually watch my kids pick them up! Doesn't that just give you the shivers thinking about it? Abigail has recently decided she wants to be an entomologist when she grows up. She can be found daily examining bugs in her little bug box (at least those that survive the capturing process). She will spend hours at this activity. Thankfully, we don't have many spiders around here (I LOVE Oregon!), so she usually just finds the odd ladybug or Box Elder beetle to observe (and inadvertently torture).


On this particular day she actually came and asked me if I would help her catch a certain spider so she could watch it in her box! Taking a very deep breath..."Sure, sweetheart." (I thought kids could sense fear. Does she not have a radar?) So outside we go as I watch from a safe distance and talk her through it. She was clever enough to grab the web it was spinning and then lower it into the box. Whew, another crisis behind me and she's still none the wiser about my arachnophobia!

(Yes, for those who are worried, I have reminded her repeatedly that she's not to touch any black spiders...ever!)