Irrational Fears (but also I'm very brave)

August 8, 2025 — 10:41pm

Dear Reese,

At bathtime, I caught sight of a category four or five daddy long legs crawling up the bathroom door. I gasped. You laughed.

(I have my own category system, five is the biggest, this one had a big body and very long legs indeed. I hate it.)

I spent a very traumatic five to eight minutes taking it out on the deck with the help of your Miraculous Ladybug bath cup. A feat I have never done with one of that size before. I did lots of mantras about how I am brave. And how I am a parent. And how I should not call Cappi over at 7:15 pm just for this. I felt like a hero from Stranger Things as its legs did truly horrific things against the side of the cup once it was trapped.

You laughed more for a lot of this. At one point, you cried, probably because we weren’t taking your bath even though I had already stripped you to your diaper. Or it could have been you wanted to play with the door the spider was on, open and shut. Merlin joined, watching, unhelpful.

Once it was said and done, I put you in the bath and called MorMor to tell her about it because I was very brave and traumatized. This is why people get married, so they have someone to take care of spiders. (I am mostly joking.)

I am debating telling you I am allergic and that’s why I’m so calmly avoiding them. I do not want you to share this fear. One, it’s irrational. They are not dangerous. Two, we live in an environment surrounded by them, so especially in summer, you will encounter them every day. Hopefully, outside most of the time, and not in your bathroom, catching you unawares. It’s always in the bathroom.

MorMor tells me I should not lie to my daughter. Uffda.

I had one ounce of whiskey while I ran a D&D game after your bedtime tonight. And I needed it.

Love,

Mama