Fresh, Hot Wastes of Time

Our 4 year old recently started preschool and therefore has been getting sick weekly. This time she brought home a cough and cold which has the whole family sick. Yesterday evening we finally got the girls both non-feverish at the same time so I popped them in the bathtub. They like lots of bubbles. After washing them off, I let them play in the tub for a good 20 minutes, during which time the bubbles went away. When I went to pull the plug, I saw a dark shadowy thing floating around the tub. On closer inspection it looked like some thread. On even closer inspection it looked arachnid. I grabbed one of their bath toys and scooped it out. Guess what?

There was a freaking BROWN RECLUSE in the bathtub with my children!!!

Hub and I spent the next hour or so trying very hard not to freak out in front of the kids. We did a lot of big fake smiles and speaking in code. “Hey, is that one of those things?” “Maybe.” “Gee, wonder from where he might have originated.” “We need to check those.” (surreptitiously pointing at children, wondering if someone got bit)

Then later, “Mommy, do ‘piders bite?”

“Well sweetie, yes they do, that’s why,” and I pull out the old Eddie Eagle line, “when you see one you should just leave it alone and come tell Mommy or Daddy.”

“Why did that ‘pider get in our bath?”

“He just wanted a drink of water!” (accompanied with the falsest grin you ever did see)

Where did that little &*#^@^ come from? The possibilities are disheartening. The tub overflow? The ceiling? One of the bath toys?

Posted Kids |