“Be curious, not judgmental.” – Ted Lasso
One of my favorite children’s books to this day is Be Nice to Spiders by Margaret Bloy Graham.
This book is about a boy who drops off his pet spider, Helen, at the zoo. She starts spinning her webs and catching all the flies! Suddenly, the zoo animals are happy that Helen is around because they can live in peace. But then the Keeper has her webs swept away for an important inspection! All the flies come back, and the animals are unhappy again. What will the Keeper do now?
I love this book because it shows kids that spiders are not bad – they’re helpful! Spiders aren’t the most liked group out there so I think it’s important that kids read this book when they’re younger so they can see that they’re not all that bad.
I was taught to save the spiders at a young age, so I grew up with that mindset. With an open mind, as I got older, I became curious of other creatures that some (not all!) people didn’t like. It continued from there, so that today, it is true when I say I love all animals.
I recommend this book for all children and adults!
Are you scared of spiders? Read more about spiders and their benefits below!
When people see a spider crawling across the floor, the reaction usually (not always!) is to freeze and find something to squish the spider with.
But spiders are useful and aren’t looking to scare anyone! That’s not the reason they’re here. Spiders are here to live, eat, and breathe – just like us! They’re introverts, so they keep to themselves, and don’t leave the house too often.
Sometimes their house is your house, too. And that’s not a big problem! Think of Helen living at the zoo helping with the flies. They very rarely bite, they don’t ruin property, and help take the pests out of your house that cause the real damage. Spiders get rid of houseflies, ants, mosquitos, moths, and roaches – for free!
Those other pests bite, sting, spread diseases, contaminate food, destroy clothes and property, and eat through foundation.
Arachnophobia is one of the most common fears, even though spiders help us do so many things! In other countries, spiders can be a sign of good luck, but in America it’s a common fear that we pass on to generation after generation – so kids may develop it unintentionally, like at school. A lot of times people fear the idea of spiders, not the spider itself, so it is encouraged to learn more about them before judging them too harshly.
Resources:
https://humansandnature.org/benefits-of-living-with-a-house-spider/
https://www.familyhandyman.com/article/heres-why-you-should-never-kill-a-spider/
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