Reddit reviews I'm Trying to Love Spiders

He's two. It happens. If I could make a recommendation, though, there is an absolutely amazing book, I'm Trying to Love Spiders, by Bethany Barton. You and he might enjoy reading it together. My students love it! (I teach summer school classes about bugs and spiders to middle school and elementary school students. The older kids are a bit beyond that book, but the little guys love it! They like patting the page whenever "Squish it!" appears.)

I can’t touch bugs. My husband has no fear of them; he’ll pick up a spider or whatever and just toss it outside. I’ve seen him pick up a yellowjacket, for crying out loud. I can stand to pick up an ant (the tiny ones), but that’s my limit.

I used to smash bugs when I found them in the house, but since my son was born, I’ve tried to instill a respect for nature and living things in him, so I try to lead by example.

I’ve gotten on the “spider bro” train and leave them alone, mostly. If a stray bug gets inside and my husband’s not around, I trap it under a glass, slide paper underneath, and toss it outside like a spaz, thinking it’s going to swoop back and attack me the entire time. On the whole, I try not to get carried away in expressing my fears.

My son is seven now, and is mostly unafraid of insects. He’ll let things like box elder bugs and fuzzy caterpillars crawl on him, but he’ll run from bees and other stingers. He has a bit of a fear of spiders, but is also fascinated by them. He checked out I’m Trying To Love Spiders yet again from the library this week, and he watches YouTube videos and documentaries about them a lot. He discourages the neighborhood kids from squishing bugs, too.

He does know that there are some dangerous insects and spiders, though, and the gloves are off when it comes to mosquitoes. We haven’t had any run-ins with fleas or ticks, fortunately.

I guess it’s working out all right, even though I can’t always practice what I preach. Blech.