Luanne Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 Are you afraid of spiders? My sister and my daughter (age 25) are very afraid of spiders. My sister has learned to deal with them some, but my daughter is still terrified of them. Just now there was a medium sized (rather gross looking) one in the shower with her and I had to go kill it for her or she wouldn't get back in the shower. I personally am not afraid of them, but don't particularly like them either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrissiK Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 They don't scare me. I just don't like them. Although I do get the creeps if I imagine them crawling all over me with their creepy legs and fangs. So, I just try not to think about spiders. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 Insanely afraid. Ds is better, yet we have one lurking in the ceiling corner of our shower too. The other night ds tripped into the porcelain vanity trying to get away from another one. He bruised his knee. This morning he said it's still there. It may be dead as I tried to kill it with a bamboo pole. I've had near heart attacks trying to get rid of ones before. Yes, they're trying to kill me, bite me and suck my blood. I have held snakes, I adore lizards, and I can handle ants, fleas, and ticks. Spider make me want to faint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luanne Posted January 17, 2014 Author Share Posted January 17, 2014 Insanely afraid. Ds is better, yet we have one lurking in the ceiling corner of our shower too. The other night ds tripped into the porcelain vanity trying to get away from another one. He bruised his knee. This morning he said it's still there. It may be dead as I tried to kill it with a bamboo pole. I've had near heart attacks trying to get rid of ones before. Yes, they're trying to kill me, bite me and suck my blood. I have held snakes, I adore lizards, and I can handle ants, fleas, and ticks. Spider make me want to faint. My sister is the same way. She loves snakes. Our neighbor had one in her basement when we were teenagers. Her husband wasn't home at the time. My brother refused to even go into her house, but my sister went over and took care of it for her. She just removed it and took it to a remote location. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 I am not afraid of them - I just find them disgusting. ETA: Still, killing them would be VERY disgusting to me. We catch them in a jar and release them outside. The thought of a *squished* spider makes me quite sick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 No, I do not like them however. Snakes...snakes are the bad, evil, atrocious, should be exterminated from the face of earth creatures that terrify me. All snakes...every one of them. Faith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 Little house spiders, daddy long legs, etc? Nope. I do have mild arachnophobia, though. I hate the scenes in Harry Potter and LOTR/Hobbit involving spiders. This fall, DD spotted a tarantula crossing the highway and said so. I didn't want to believe her, but I turned around on a side road and drove back to where she saw it and sure enough, there he was. I read an article several days later that said their migrations were moving farther north than usual. I was freaked out, but it was also cool to see one in the wild—from a safe distance, of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mathnerd Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 No. Spiders don't bother me. But, I hate snakes and will not even watch the TV when it features snakes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedmom4 Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 I am not afraid of spiders at all but my oldest son is seriously phobic about them. He has been known to wake up in the middle of the night because he thought he felt one crawling on him. It doesn't matter how small or big. We will be learning about spiders soon for science and I hope it desensitizes him a bit. He's already worried about it. Elise in NC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 Yes, I'm afraid of spiders. So are all of my kids. My dd21 is the most scared. She jumps on a chair and yells for my DH to come rescue her. She said when she moved out, if she wasn't married, she'd still be calling my DH. :laugh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UncleEJ Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 I really, really hate spiders. I can deal with them, but I hate it! Because I live in Texas, I have to deal with them on a regular basis. Over time I have gotten better, but every time I see a spider bigger than a nickel, my heart races. We have this horrific spider here called a banana spider, it is seriously the most frightening thing ever. The first on I saw nearly gave me a panic attack. On the other hand, snakes, reptiles, toads, frogs, mice, none of them concern me a bit. Unless in my house, I guess, and even then I just want them out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie4b Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 I don't like them inside, but don't mind them outside, as long as they are not venomous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PinkyandtheBrains. Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 I don't like them, but I try to remove them to outside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammi K Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 I used to be ridiculously afraid of spiders. I would call my husband to get rid of them. But, just the other day he saw me carry one outside and commented that before we lived in Australia (home of fist size huntsmen and other huge spiders) I would have needed him to handle that tiny one. Apparently living with monster spiders has made me immune to normal size ones. So I picked other - Which in my case should read: No longer afraid of spiders unless they are big enough to eat your head. I'm pretty sure that kind would still freak me out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirty ethel rackham Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 I voted "not afraid and don't mind them". I have held a tarantula before (at a science museum to be a good example to my kids.) However, I don't like them on me and would rather they spend their time out of doors instead of in my house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trulycrabby Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 Not afraid of them all, in fact, I found and kept a black widow spider for a few months several years ago. DS19 and I would catch insects for her, and she got really big. We finally set her free out in a field because I got pregnant and DH started getting nervous about her. :) Brown recluse spiders are endemic in our area; we have them in our house, so I have studied quite a bit about their lifestyles and habits in order to heep the population as low as possible. For example, we use semi-gloss paint in the kids bedrooms because they are not wonderful climbers and it makes it harder for them to climb. We have seen small ones on their wals but never a large one, and we don't get cobwebs in the corners from other types of spiders in these rooms, so I think it helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 I don't mind spiders at all and will freely admit to letting them live in my house although I make them spin new webs whenever I vacuum (which is not super often). I only clear them out when my mom comes to visit - then they are relocated outside as gently as possible. My mom doesn't like spiders and I try to be nice for her. I know we'll get new residents before long. Youngest likes to keep some in containers and feed them. It's fun to watch the jumping spiders hunt. Snakes are my nemesis. I hate them and wish none existed. I can handle them when I know where they are and was even nice to one at school by giving it water when its dish was empty, but it doesn't mean I like them... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SweetMissMagnolia Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 depends on the situation I guess....Spiders are not my favorite critter,but as long as they have no chance of getting on me I'm fine with them.....LOL Many years DH saw one on the curtain by the bed.....by the time he found something to smack it with,said spider (that I didn't see) was GONE....he had to take the curtains down and shake them out-had to take the bed covers all off and shake them out to make sure it wasn't in the bed....and even moved the mattresses around the see under the bed good before he would go to bed....Now it was in the middle of the night,mind you.....funny thing is that his "long lost sister" that we just got in touch with 2yrs ago has the same issue with spiders..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mazakaal Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 I'm not afraid of them, but I really don't like them. If they are in the house, I kill them. And if the kids see one, they call me in to kill it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeachyDoodle Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 Yes, I'm afraid of spiders. So are all of my kids. My dd21 is the most scared. She jumps on a chair and yells for my DH to come rescue her. She said when she moved out, if she wasn't married, she'd still be calling my DH. :laugh: I am married (happily so, have been for almost 14 years) and I have been known to call my father if dh is not within rescue distance. I am deathly, insanely arachnophobic. It's the way they move that gets me. All those legs... ::shudder:: Year before last was a bad year around here for spiders. We had several in the house, hiding in the laundry basket and such. I have only recently stopped scanning every room I enter for creepy-crawlies. I still make dh bring up the downstairs hamper on laundry day. We had one come in here that I swear looked like it belonged in a "B" sci-fi flick. It was MASSIVE. It was in the kitchen, and when I came around the corner on my way to the diaper pail, it was sitting there like it owned the place. It literally took a couple of seconds to register in my brain what it was. It looked like one of those cheap rubber toys. I snatched up poor little ds, who wasn't even 2 yet, climbed onto the back of the couch, and started frantically dialing dh. He had just dropped off dd at school and was headed to work, but he was only a couple of minutes up the road, so he turned around. Meanwhile, the nasty beast was crawling across the kitchen floor. Every time it moved, I screamed (and I am NOT a screamer -- it was like an out-of-body experience) and ds laughed hysterically. It crawled under the sliding glass door, and I thought it was going to see itself outside, but no. It returned and made a beeline for the HEATING VENT. When it disappeared down the vent, I thought, "That's it. We're going to have to burn the house to the ground." Fortunately, dh arrived on the scene and was able to extract it from the vent with the vacuum hose and take it outside to meet its doom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 I've always found them rather fascinating. Of course around here, they don't get huge and they aren't deadly. My daughter is allergic to spider bites, so my fondness for spiders has decreased in recent years. My kids view them about the same as any other bug. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeachyDoodle Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 Little house spiders, daddy long legs, etc? Nope. I do have mild arachnophobia, though. I hate the scenes in Harry Potter and LOTR/Hobbit involving spiders. This fall, DD spotted a tarantula crossing the highway and said so. I didn't want to believe her, but I turned around on a side road and drove back to where she saw it and sure enough, there he was. I read an article several days later that said their migrations were moving farther north than usual. I was freaked out, but it was also cool to see one in the wild—from a safe distance, of course. How far north do you live???? Am I going to have to move?? :leaving: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 When it disappeared down the vent, I thought, "That's it. We're going to have to burn the house to the ground." :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dory Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 The only spider that I'm not nervous of is the daddy long legs. We really don't have much for spiders here and most people won't even know if a spider were to bite them. I on the other hand seem to swell up terribly every time I get bit. I had a spider end up down my shirt while I was picking saskatoons this past summer. I didn't notice till I went for a shower and I panicked a little and the stupid thing bit me. I looked like a had a third bOOk. I have done a lot of reading (without pictures at first) to try and get to the point where I at least wouldn't over react to them. I didn't want my kids picking up on my panic. It's worked someone. My dd is concerned by them much as I am now, but she doesn't completely panic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 I reserve my terror for rodents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PinkyandtheBrains. Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 I reserve my terror for rodents. I dislike rodents in my house. And once they were after my chocolate I had to declare war. We have two cats and many traps set up annually. DOWN WITH CHOCOLATE STEALING RODENTS! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 I dislike all of them, but I'd only say I'm scared of the big ones. I mean, I'll squash a little or medium one, no trouble. But there was one with a body the size of a jumbo marble in the house last year. I still get the heebie jeebies when I think about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freeindeed Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 I am very scared of spiders. I won't say that I have full-blown arachnophobia, but it's close. I will scream if I see one. I have to get other people to kill them for me. Now, if I'm alone and I have to kill one, then I will. But I'm in near panic attack mode the whole time and for a while afterwards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dinosaur Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 I love them. When I catch little jumping spiders in the house I like to play with them a bit. Most of the time they seem like they enjoy it too. When I find them outside I call the kids and we look them up to see what kind they are. I especially like the wolf spiders b/c they kill and eat fiddle-backs (brown recluse). When I find those in the house, if they aren't too large, I typically just leave them be. My three daughters don't mind them either and will come to get me if they find one outside, or they will catch them inside and release them outside. My nine year old wants to be an entomologist when she grows up. I told her, "don't wait....be one now". :thumbup: All that said, I've taught them to be respectful of other people who don't like them. We don't frighten others with them or try to talk people out of their fears. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kubiac Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 I'll go so far as to say that I love spiders, and I even let black and brown widows live in my garage and around the property until I had kids. (And then I went on a killing spree because little kids are always more vulnerable health-wise than adults and the risk wasn't worth it. Sorry innocent spiders.) Note: "Before antivenom was available, bites from these spiders caused death in about 5% of the cases. Currently there are adequate medical treatments; deaths from black widow bites are virtually non-existent." Source: http://spiders.ucr.edu/myth.htmlI read Be Nice to Spiders by Margaret Bloy Graham to my kids early and often, and I love pointing out varieties of spider web on our nature walks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luanne Posted January 17, 2014 Author Share Posted January 17, 2014 The funny thing is, my daughter has held a tarantula before and had no problem with that. I would NEVER let a tarantula anywhere near me... let alone on my hand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 Not afraid of spiders. Of course, we don't have any dangerous ones here so there is really nothing brave about my stance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Changed Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 I would say I have a phobia of spiders. And ants. And lady bugs. And any and all bugs and insects. But spiders of any size cause me to panic. Before I married dh I would call my stepmom, no matter the time of day or night, and she would come to my house and kill the spider. While I waited for her to get there I would HAVE TO stare at it just to make sure it didn't get way. I know they can't hurt me, but it doesn't matter. I had a psychologist friend recommend desensitization--um, no. Didn't work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILiveInFlipFlops Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 No, and I don't mind them too much either. Then again, we don't really have venomous spiders here, and the biggest one you'll see is a harmless wolf spider. If I had to worry about black widows in our shoes or those hand-sized spiders that live in places like Australia, I'd probably answer differently! ETA: I'm seriously fighting the temptation to post a few freaky-cool-funny spider videos I've seen recently... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeachyDoodle Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 I would say I have a phobia of spiders. And ants. And lady bugs. And any and all bugs and insects. But spiders of any size cause me to panic. Before I married dh I would call my stepmom, no matter the time of day or night, and she would come to my house and kill the spider. While I waited for her to get there I would HAVE TO stare at it just to make sure it didn't get way. I know they can't hurt me, but it doesn't matter. I had a psychologist friend recommend desensitization--um, no. Didn't work. Oh good. So it's not just me... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in TN Posted January 18, 2014 Share Posted January 18, 2014 I'm only afraid of the ones that are on me or about to go on me or that I nearly run into or that surprise me when I move an item they were using for cover. Also the ones that I sometimes hallucinate when i'm half asleep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HRAAB Posted January 18, 2014 Share Posted January 18, 2014 I admit I am irrationally afraid of spiders, but I'm even more afraid of snakes. Since I've had children, I've learned to deal with spiders without almost having a coronary. I remember the first time I saw a big monster spider headed towards my oldest when she was a baby on the floor. I took a deep breath and dealt with it. Being a mother can make you face your worst fears although to date I haven't had any snakes wandering around the house - thankfully. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyLady Posted January 18, 2014 Share Posted January 18, 2014 I've never encountered any dangerous spiders so of the ones I've met, I don't have a problem with them. :) If I see one in my house I either let him be or catch it and put it outside. Just the other day I rescued one out of a public toilet because I didn't have the heart to leave him knowing that the next person who came along would just flush it. :leaving: I don't get why people's first reaction is to kill a spider either. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinder Posted January 18, 2014 Share Posted January 18, 2014 Not afraid, just don't like them. But I will admit to being afraid of the giant black widow that was inside my trash bin once. :eek: But I consider that an exception. We went hiking once and when we stopped to rest at the peak we were surprised to see a tarantula walk by. It was pretty cool and something I never thought I'd see in the wild. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lara in Colo Posted January 18, 2014 Share Posted January 18, 2014 I only dislike the poisonous ones. I will allow any of the others the opportunity to live peacefully in my house (which means -- stay our of sight). Black Widows need to die. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmandaVT Posted January 18, 2014 Share Posted January 18, 2014 I don't mind the smaller ones or the daddy long legs, but I hate the big guys. Especially the hairy ones. And the jumping ones. Vermont spiders make me homesick. We have big ugly nasty ones here on a regular basis. Wolf spiders are the worst and they grow really big and scary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
countrygal Posted January 18, 2014 Share Posted January 18, 2014 My 3 yo daughter loves them and gets upset if I try to kill them. "Don't kill him, he's my friend!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted January 18, 2014 Share Posted January 18, 2014 I am going to say not afraid of them because what most people consider big, I consider very small. The only ones that make me shudder are the 4+" tarantulas that you can hear running across the road. (Rural Oklahoma) I don't even bother moving a house spider unless they are bigger than a dime or so. Dime to Quarter size get tossed outside. In Oregon I don't think I have even seen a spider bigger than a half dollar, so there is little to fear here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted January 18, 2014 Share Posted January 18, 2014 I don't mind little ones or daddy-long-legs. If I find them in the house I usually just ignore them. Creepier-looking but still common ones I'm not afraid of but I don't like them around. So I get rid of them. I would probably scream if I saw some really giant one in my house. Apparently my daughter came across a giant whitish one about 2 inches around in my parents' bathroom sink. I'm pretty sure I would have screamed and backed away. My nephew found a black widow spider on his banana at his school cafeteria a couple months ago. He thought it was fascinating and just studied it, while everyone around him started screaming. The newspaper even came to interview him about it. Apparently the U.S. has stricter requirements now about not allowing certain pesticides on fruit that comes in from other countries. As a result, there are more pests that end up here than before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jelbe5 Posted January 18, 2014 Share Posted January 18, 2014 Should not be reading about this at bedtime . . . I have always had a fear of spiders. Like a PP said, I think it is the legs and the way they move. I had a reaction to a medication when I was a young teen. The medication given to me to counter the reaction to the first medication caused me to hallucinate for a day. Spiders . . . why did it have to be spiders? I have gotten better over the years. My eldest dd has helped me with that. I even held a tarantula once - it was so delicate. But I am still pretty afraid of them and would really like it if they never came into the house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jewellsmommy Posted January 18, 2014 Share Posted January 18, 2014 I was bitten by a brown recluse when I was 8. That experience has definitely shaped my outlook on spiders. I can handle the teeny, tiny ones. The ones that look like jumpers really freak me out though (even if small). Dh usually catches any rogue ones that have wandered into the house and puts them outside. If dh is at work though, I have been known to throw phonebooks in self defense. I try reasoning with them first, but they don't ever listen. :glare: I open the door, tell them to leave, and their life will be spared. I cannot get close enough to kill by foot or holding an object, and they seem to know that about me and take advantage of that. Most of them just sit back with an evil grin on their face, taunting me. But they're singin a different tune when they see the yellow pages flyin through the air! :coolgleamA: We actually don't like to kill if we don't have to, except those hideous, giant roaches that eat books. :svengo: Some of them even fly! ::shudder:: Anyway, they always die if they dare enter this house. If dh doesn't get it then one of my three cats will hunt it down and play with it till death. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fraidycat Posted January 18, 2014 Share Posted January 18, 2014 Not afraid of them, but living near venomous ones makes me a little leery of getting too close to them. I only kill them if the kids make me, or they're in a bedroom (don't want them crawling on anyone while sleeping!), otherwise I leave them alone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in Neverland Posted January 18, 2014 Share Posted January 18, 2014 I'm not afraid of them or snakes or cockroaches, etc. I just don't like to be surprised. So, for instance, if I see a spider crawling on the wall, no big deal. I leave it alone or kill it. But if I were sitting there and one suddenly crawled on me it would startle me and then I would kill it. I don't like to be startled. I am, however, irrationally terrified of bees and wasps. Absolutely terrified. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Changed Posted January 18, 2014 Share Posted January 18, 2014 I can't believe people are okay with daddy long legs!!! Those are the worst! All those legs! *shudder*....yes, I realize the number of legs, but there is something about them that I find even more creepy and terrifying than other spiders. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ausmumof3 Posted January 18, 2014 Share Posted January 18, 2014 Paranoid? No. Healthy level of fear of red backs? Yes. Dd used to have no fear until she got bitten by a huntsman, now she screams the house down. They're not poisonous thankfully but can cause nasty infections. Living rural has helped me learn to deal with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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