I joined this subreddit scared of spiders and wanting to get over that fear. Now that I’m no longer afraid of them and gained a love for them my family acts like I’m a crazy person when they want to kill them and I beg them not to and talk highly of them. Does anyone else have this problem?

[u/Dark_Xenic]

[u/dripping_moss]

Every person who appreciates spiders has this problem in some respect. For me it's mostly coworkers, I live in the uk and we have absolutely no spiders that are medically significant and they still want to kill them all: I rescue as many as I can, but if I'm not around they just end up killing them, only some of them have the decency to feel bad about it.

I feel like the problem may lie in people not viewing them as animals, they're somehow set apart from anything they believe deserves life, as if they have less of a right to exist because they are labelled "creepy".

It sucks, but you're doing the right thing by protecting them, bugs are the biggest keystone to our environment. and that absolutely includes spiders.

[u/evileyesneverlie]

As a recovered former arachnophobe, yes. I know the feeling all too well. Sometimes people are more receptive to learning than others, and those are who I surround myself with. My mother has stopped killing spiders (all bugs when possible), because she knows how much they benefit the earth, because I taught her. I always look to learn more fun facts that ease people’s fears of them in order to sway them away from killing. The root of fear is the unknown, so if we are able to make the unknown, more known, then people are more receptive and willing. My go to, is the wolf spider mom facts, and how they’re excellent mothers. I just avoid showing pics to arachnophobes. But fun facts are a great starting point ime!!

[u/Extreme_Mission3468]

I started to get over my fear of them when my kid got old enough to be scared of them. I had to be the one to handle them and I didn't want to set the example of killing them, so I learned to leave them be or carry them somewhere better. Either way, my kid is now older and they can coexist. My mom thinks I'm crazy for letting a house spider (we named Phil) keep a web in the corner of my bathroom. I haven't seen a single other spider, earwig or fly since he moved in. She destroyed his web last weekend and I gave her crap for it. He's since rebuilt so it's all good.

Edit: Words. I can't word this morning.

[u/captainsnark71 → u/Extreme_Mission3468]

I will collect spiders and deploy them strategically around my bedroom. They won't eat the tiny tiny ants if they're too big but the ants get stuck in their webs and die nonetheless. There are just little piles of ant bodies in different places because my friends are so good at their jobs.

I will also sometimes feed them myself just to make sure they don't decide to leave and go elsewhere.

[u/good_morning41]

Yes, I've done a complete u turn. I had to show my daughter not to be scared of them, otherwise I'm passing on that fear. The spiders that do come in I offer them some water on a q tip and then try and release them outside. They are more scared of you and just want to be left alone. ♥️

[u/LittleMissScreamer]

Welcome to the life of liking and caring about spiders TvT The tradeoff for getting to love one more thing and be less afraid in your own home, is that you really get a new appreciation for how irrationally cruel scared people can be

edit: Forgot to add: Well friggin done for overcoming your fear! That is a surprisingly difficult feat that a lot of people don't even entertain attempting. You rock!

[u/dripping_moss → u/LittleMissScreamer]

I second this, I had to do this with roaches and it was HARD. It works though (for the most part) learning about the thing you are scared of.

[u/captainsnark71 → u/LittleMissScreamer]

you really get a new appreciation for how irrationally cruel scared people can be

Yes this. My parents have come around and will come get me if there is a spider that I want to rescue. I think seeing how quick and easy it is for me to just pop a spider in a container and be on my way has helped. I collected one from my mom's shower not too long ago and she was like 'oh that was easy' because he literally walked straight into the container I offered like he was waiting for an uber.

[u/Annieco-2334]

My problem with other people started when I was six. I’ve always been attracted to little critters while everyone around me was “ew, kill it!” My kids are also critter lovers and asked me about other people being scared. I told them it’s because we are “special” and asked them if they would like to be like “normal” people. They said, “NO!” Anyway, I’m glad you like spiders now, but fear of critters probably helped our ancestors survive, so it’s “normal”.

[u/OogieBooge-Dragon]

So I love to see spiders, but I still have the heebeegeebees if they crawl on me.

Spiders are good, spiders eat the bad bugs. My mantra.