We’ve all been there- You’re relaxing on the couch, watching a rerun of valley-girl Alicia Silverstone in Clueless (No? Maybe that’s just me…). Just minding your own business, and all of a sudden out of the corner of your eye you see a big(ish), black, THING creepy-crawling over the arm of the couch!!! What do you do? Why, you find the nearest shoe and squash the brazen little spider for daring to interrupt your relaxation time. And for making you look like a sissy for squealing like a little girl in front of Alicia Silverstone.
Totally understandable. Killing one tiny spider is certainly not a crime (not by a long shot). Be that as it may however, the unquestioned “SQUISH IT” course of action when dealing with trespassing insects might have more consequences than you previously thought.
Now imagine the same scenario, but with a child in the room watching your every move. When you casually kill that spider without blinking, what is that child actually seeing? Without realizing it, you might be helping that little sponge to absorb the message that not all life is valuable, and that if something is smaller or weaker than you, it is ok to just do away with it. But if you take the extra few minutes to capture the spider, perhaps even allowing the child to observe it in a glass before releasing it safely outside, then you have just created a small miracle. In less time than it takes to send an email, you have taught that little person to value and respect life in all its forms, have a curiosity and love for nature, and to treat others (no matter how small) with empathy and consideration.
So next time you have a run-in with Itsy-Bitsy, consider going the extra mile to help shape a child into a caring human being. Plus, if you save its life there’s the added bonus that that spider will probably eat a few cockroaches on your property. And I don’t know about you, but there is no child in the world who could inspire me to save one of those unholy beasts.
***Here is a WikiHow article about how to catch and release spiders, and how to identify the poisonous ones. http://www.wikihow.com/Get-Spiders-Out-of-Your-House-Without-Killing-Them
***Please exercise safety and do not get bitten!
