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When I was little, my parents always called large spiders in our house ‘Charlie’. I don’t know why they picked this name but by making the name cute, it made spiders less scary. I was never afraid of spiders and I think this is a direct result of this game we used to play. Spotting a Charlie was fun and instead of running away, we used to chase it to try to catch it (not to kill but to relocate outside). I am so grateful to my parents for this. I think it is really clear that parents’ fears transfer to children. Since my parents are not afraid of much (heights, spiders or any of the usual phobias), I am not either.

My lack of fear for spiders has developed over the years into a real fondness.  I think they are adorable!  My ex-boyfriend used to have a pet tarantula called Bob and he was a complete cutie.  I used to handle him with no problems although I had to be careful of his spiney knees.

Not being afraid of spiders can come in very handy, for example when you are climbing into the loft (aka filing archive) at work and this little chap has made a home right by the light switch, it means you don’t fall off the ladder!

This is a true Charlie – quite chunky and very big (this one has a leg span of about 4 inches with its legs flat). We haven’t moved it – we don’t mind sharing our office with it.