Arachnophobia

It's no secret that the Irishman is afraid of spiders. Now, I don't mean that he'd rather not deal with them, I mean that when he's surprised by the appearance of one, he is literally paralyzed with fear. Yup, he's arachnophobic. This is actually a bit of a situation since in this part of North Carolina, spiders are as common as cockroaches are in Florida. We've been seeing a lot more of them as the weather has turned cool and they're seeking shelter in our house.

Parker has definitely noticed his father's freakouts in relation to spiders and as two-year-olds are prone to do, he's exploiting this new information. Please see exhibit A.



At the fall festival a couple of weeks ago, Parker requested a "scary spider" be painted on his face. Here is his "scary" face to go with it.



"Daddy, look at me! There's a scary spider on my face!" Oh dear. (Notice the face painting girl laughing at his threats in the background.)

Then, there's exhibit B.



Parker chose these Halloween pjs and they're his first choice when they're clean. Then, he proceeds to chase the Irishman around the house saying, "Look daddy, spiderssss!"

Is it wrong that I laugh? Is it wrong that I'm amused by the fact that my child is trying his hardest to torment my husband? Probably, but it's still funny that Parker actually thinks he's scary.

As for me, well, I do a much better job keeping my phobias close to me. Of course, it's easier for me since there aren't really aliens hanging around the house...are there??