To never go in my little girls room again!?

[FedUp1850]

Soooooooo Aragog is residing in my little girls bedroom. He is massive. I just can't go in there. He's been in there for days, I shut the door and put a blanket down at the bottom to hopefully keep it in there.

I'm petrified of spiders. My mum said that her mum put one right up in her face when she was a kid, thinking about it almost sent me into cardiac arrest 😅. Someone help me overcome this irrational fear!

@mydogisthebest I should have been clearer. I didn't mean that FedUP 1850 should catch the spider.
Isn't there a friend or neighbour who could do that for her?

“No way on earth could I get close enough to put a glass on it.”

So obviously you wouldn’t be able to get close enough to spray it with kitchen cleaner either. Unlike some other “phobics” on here.

No I could not close enough to do anything. Mind you even if I could I would never spray it with kitchen cleaner, hairspray etc.

I don;t want them killed as I don't like killing any living creature. DH puts them in the garage. I do worry that they will die anyway but we do have a radiator in the garage which although not on as much as the ones in the house is on enough to take away the real cold.

I may well look into therapy although it will have to be free or very cheap. It would be lovely not to be so scared. This year has actually been the worst as we have had so many in the living room and I am on edge every evening watching tv. I also keep dreaming about them and waking up sweating

I read somewhere they don’t like conkers, no idea how true this is (probably isn’t true at all) but might be worth a try just putting some in the room?😂

@Katzia yes it is a spider and yes it's an irrational fear. I don't want to pass it on to my daughter. You obviously don't understand real phobias. My blood runs cold, my face turns white.

@gymraes I've not said I agree with killing? I hope not to pass it on to her, I'm considering treatment so when she's old enough to know hopefully I'm 'cured' or not as bad.

I wont touch them but I've got braver with catching them as my daughter gets scared and I don't want her to be. Card and glass 😁 although I was recently bitten on the face by one (England) and it got infected and I have a scar. This fuelled my hatred of them!

Sorry to be unhelpful - but if your phobia is such that it is clearly having a massive impact on your life then I would seriously recommend therapy. My husband had several psychotherapy sessions a number of years ago, for a major phobia and they really did work wonders. It's not cheap, but in cases as clearly severe as this, it would make a massive difference. In the meantime, you need to find a friend or neighbour who can help.

@Katzia yes it is a spider and yes it's an irrational fear. I don't want to pass it on to my daughter. You obviously don't understand real phobias. My blood runs cold, my face turns white

But in your OP you use a laughing emoji. If you're really serious, don't just consider getting treatment, just get it!

I am so sick of people that kill spiders for no good reason. Even a genuine phobia isn't a good reason. I'd imagine the majority of people on here are outraged and scared about climate change and certain species becoming extinct, yet you're happy to kill a vital part of the eco system by either hoovering them up, spraying them with hairspray or something else, or whacking them. If any of you have genuine arachnophobia get treatment for it instead of killing spiders that won't harm you. Shame on you.

Oh i jut want to say that there is such a thing as a phobia. I can recognise that inects etc etc I can deal with even if I do not like them - I can do the glass thing with a piece of paper underneath - I can do that. Spiders are ( I can deal with teeny ones with breathing - but a bigger one I cannot breathe and I have to flee and I to flee & I throw up. ) I know very well it is a phobia - it is not rational. Not rational at all - I wish I did not have it but in the UK - is it worth going to get it sorted ? Phobias exist.

There was a film several years ago called Arachnaphobia - it wasadvertised on the side of buses with big photographs I had to drive with one eye shut so I could not see the advertisements. Truly truly think I have a phobia - if I see a big sp-d-r I have to flee and vomit.

But bizarrely I rather love snakes

@sjonlegs it doesn't necessarily seriously impact my life. Not going into my daughter's bedroom hardly does that. Although I agree, it can't go on much longer and I am going to see my GP about treatment.

@onefootinthegrave it's a nervous laughing emoji, if I don't life I'll cry! I will be seeking help for it.

Where do I say killing them is acceptable?

Fedup you didn't say killing them is acceptable. I don't think anyone has specifically stated that. But nevertheless there are a lot of people on here who do kill them, and quite a lot of them are describing in a humourous way exactly how they do it. It's not funny. These are creatures vital to our eco system, and people are deliberatley killing them, some in really painful and cruel ways when there is no need. So clearly people do think it's acceptable to kill them, or they'd do something about their genuine phobia/fear of something that 9 times out of 10 isn't going to harm you (in the UK anyway)

I'm really glad you'll be seeking help, because it's an awful feeling to be so scared of something. And when you conquer it it's a great feeling. And it makes life so much easier too. My son had exposure response therapy, but I know that's no for everyone.

As someone mentioned upthread, there is a definite market for a spider-catching service.

If I wasn't an arachnophobe too I'd do it myself!

If you are truly terrified there is no way on earth you can get close enough to trap it in a glass. And those spider catching things are about 8 feet too short.

@TitchyP for me those spider catching things are at least 20 feet too short!

The stories about people spraying spiders with things are awful. As much as I am terrified of them I don't want them killed. But then I think killing snails, slugs or most living creatures is awful (I do kill fleas)

You got a friend that could come do it for you,? I would have no issue capturing him for your If Your based in Kent .... caught a false widow the other day ...

I’d lend you my cat, but......

If someone posts about being terrified of something, why would other posters think it was OK to post pics of even bigger/ scarier versions? Unkind.

Spider hunting cats, fine though.

@onefootinthegrave it's horrible to kill any living creature, never mind one vital to our eco system. I couldn't get close enough to kill one anyway even if I did think it was okay.

Exposure therapy would only make things worse for me. No way, no, no, no!

Have you got someone else to go in there and catch it for you yet OP?

Friend, neighbour, two teenagers? Give them £5 if they remove it and take a photo to prove it.

1. Remove child from room

I am that terrified of spiders that i had to get my husband home from work one day to catch the monster :)

@FedUp1850 Hope problem resolved...?
Would ask you and all MN's to be v careful re spray insecticides containing permethin (lots do). Can be lethal for small pets- even cats &/or small dogs if ingested (ie, animal grooming itself after walking over treated flooring) due to their small lungs. I apologise if this sounds like scare-mongering but better safe than sorry & I wouldn't take the risk.

My toddler kills spiders for me, if he sees one he picks up a shoe or ball and kills it. Money spiders and tiny bugs he squashes with his fingers though while I have a mini heart attack every time😂