The Spider

Yesterday we decided to do a puzzle and discovered a tiny spider in the box. This called for the magnifying glasses, and everyone was having fun looking at the spider... until it got away. This is where Emanuel freaks out. At age 1 he loved bugs... couldn't get enough of them. At age 2 he's terrified of them. No idea why, but a bug sighting is always very traumatic.

Emanuel starts squealing and jumping. "It got away! It's going to get me!" I explain that it is so tiny, it can't do anything to him at all and its probably very scared of him too. I think I'm getting through to him when Ben chimes in, "It'll rip your skin off!"

"No, Ben, it can't rip his skin off," I say.

"Yes, it can. I had a dream about a spider and it ripped my skin off." I told him that dreams aren't real, which satisfied Ben, who really didn't care much anyway. Meanwhile, Emanuel has climbed up on top of the couch, magnifying glass still in hand (because this spider was SO tiny it really couldn't be seen without it).

"It's going to rip my skin off mom!"

"No it won't," I tell him. "It's too tiny. You could squash it with your little finger." I leave it at that and silently watch Emanuel move from couch to end table to chair, avoiding the floor at all costs. I pray Ben doesn't mention that spiders can climb up furniture. Eventually Emanuel ends up on my shoulders and slides down into my lap.

"Mom, that spider is so tiny. I could eat it!" This means his fear is gone. If something can be eaten, there is no way it is scary. 2 year olds and their logic, huh?

"Well, you could eat it but that would be really gross." This makes him laugh. Gross is good.

"Emanuel if you eat a spider you'll die." Oh no. Here we go again. Emanuel gasps, his eyes widen and I turn to Ben.

"That's silly. He won't die from eating a spider."

"Yes, he will," Ben argues. "The old lady swallowed one and she died!"

Darn those folk tales.