fuh-reaking out over bugs...really?

I am beginning to get SO frustrated!! More often than not we go outside to play and are back inside within an hour because of a "bug". It could be a piece of grass or a leaf touched someone's leg but they frickin' flipout and won't stop until we go inside. I absolutely cannot spend all of these beautiful days inside. I don't like bugs, but have never told them that, and don't ever show a reaction to them. Dh on the other hand, is another story.

So what to do? I have tried making it such a non-issue but they just won't let up. They wouldn't go in the kiddie pool this afternoon because there was some grass and leaves in it and they were constantly staring at the water (from outside the pool) looking for bugs even though I went through every inch of it three times!! :grr:

Any words of wisdom that might have worked for you in a situation like this? I am to the point of being very upset over this nonsense.

 

Sarah has just started doing this. I think because it's finally gotten hot here, now suddenly all the bugs are out. She isn't quite that paranoid about it, but yesterday we were outside and she started wailing and panicking and going "Bug! Bug! Bug!" I went rushing over and there was one of those itty bitty green guys (like a gnat) on her arm. I swatted it away and said "Why didn't you just swat it?" and she answered, "Because I didn't want to TOUCH IT!" No, she'd rather just watch it crawl up her arm. :headbang:

Anyway, I am trying not to make a big deal of it, but also not letting her bail out of activities because of this. I will swat bugs for her if she insists, but we're still going to spend time outside. She's had other fears in the past (Amy too, but not so many/severe) and she usually mellows out at least a little after a couple of weeks.

 

OOooohhh! For Alice we bought bug cookies from a bakery and encouraged her to have fun with the bugs. We also watched that stupid BuggaBug episode of Dora like 5 times in a weekend. The only thing now she's afraid of is spiders and that I think will be genetic. I'm trying to not flip out when I see one, but she senses it!!

(ETA she friggin had a TICK attached to her on Saturday. I nearly threw up.)

 

Ugh, Hailey does the same thing. The other day at church there was a centipede and she wouldn't even walk NEAR it without holding my hand. We have a bug puzzle and she doesn't mind those, but if it's a real bug or anything that resembles a bug, she freaks.

 

Mine each got bit by a wasp this winter and became terrified of bugs. I started teaching them about "nice" bugs, and "not nice" bugs. I will hold and touch a grass-hopper, worm, caterpillar, etc. and have them come over and tough the "nice" bug. We then look at ants, wasps, bees, etc. and talk about how they are "not nice" because they bite and they have to look but not touch, and run from fire ant mounds.

They got over their terror when I could finally get them to touch a "nice" bug. I'll hold a nice bug and talk about how sweet, cute, tiny, smiley, friendly, etc. it is, how scared the bug is of the girls, and ooh and aah over it and they'll usually end out touching it and sometimes holding it. Now I just need to teach them how to swat a mosquito!

Okay, if mine get a tick, I'll be the one fuh-reaking out!!!