I mentioned in a previous post that I don’t kill spiders (or other insects for that matter). This means that we have a few resident eight-legged friends hanging around in the corners of some rooms of the house. My children have grown, hum…accustom to them? fond of them?…I’m not quite sure which word would best describe their relationship to our household spiders. Anyway, during each meal, Charles and Amélie look up at the junction between the ceiling and the walls of the dining room to find out which of the spiderweb hammock one of our resident arachnids is chilling in.
Usually, they find the spider and then go back to their meal. This morning, however, something unexpected happened. After spotting the resting spider, their attention was drawn to another spot on the ceiling. I followed their gaze and saw a spider taking a leisurely stroll on the living room ceiling. We watched it as it approached a helium-filled balloon and then, to their utter surprise, let itself fall to the ground.
With a sense of urgency in his voice, Charles immediately asked me where the spider was. Now, if you think that it was because he was afraid of the spider, think again. The simple fact is, he was concerned about its well-being. I assured him that the spider was fine and then proceeded to place it inside an overturned glass bowl. Charles came close to observe it and together we watched as it crawled inside the bowl. We got a good look at its legs and pincers and abdomen. Then, we brought it downstairs to relocate it to the garage.
As we were coming up the stairs, Charles’ boundless curiosity and scientific mind decided to hook up:
Mom, that spider was weird wasn’t it. It was walking around instead of sleeping and hiding like all the other spiders. Is it because it was a wild spider?
Haha! I guess that means all of the other spiders in the house are pets? Oh well, at least they’re low maintenance!
mommytrainingwheels 
That is beyond cute (I’m purposely ignoring that it is scary spiders that are being discussed)! You have a very observant and astute little future scientist in your nest! Maybe he is going to be an entomologist and discover a solution to global warming, or a cure for cancer using spider webs!!! Great job turning something icky into a learning experience for your children. Good job too using that learning opportunity for a humane reason to never have to clean cobwebs off of your ceiling/wall corners!!! 😀
Haha! Yeah, he’s a sweetheart. We’ll see what he grows up to be, right now, he’s got his heart set on driving tractor trailers!
Those probably have spiders in them too – and (sadly) he will probably make more money than an entomologist. 🙂
Bon !!!…….je ne suis plus la seule à “côtoyer” ces petites “bêtes” j’aime cette approche…..on a tant à apprendre de ce monde d’insectes….bises gm
Eh non! Faut bien les laisser vivre. Les seules bestioles dont je me débarasse sont les fourmis charpentières, car je n’ai pas vraiment le choix. Mais ça m’a fait mal au coeur quand un exterminateur est venu l’an passé :(. En effet, on a beaucoup à apprendre du monde des insectes!
That’s hilarious!! What a brave and curious boy. Although I suppose most boys like spiders – or at least aren’t bothered by them. Good job you on not being bothered by them! Haha… wild spiders … I have to tell my husband that one….
I actually have a love/hate relationship with spiders. I find them fascinating and will willingly take a closer look at them…through a glass or a photograph. To be honest, I would probably scream like a little girl if one touched me.
It probably is a boy thing! My daughter looked on from afar when we caught the spider.