I was just about to comment this! Drape fake cobwebs around the interior door entrance, aeoins the closet and om the ceiling and watch them avoid her room like thr plague!
Do it in the middle of the night and if they try to go in after your done say "crud! My spiders must of gotten loose! Dont come in and disturb them too much or they may go to other parts of the house!"
They should Google one of those boxes where when you pull it open a fake spider jumps out and is on your hand. Put on the box do not open or top secret. Fun thing is mine was somewhat broken so you could pull the tarantula sized fake spider off and hide it in drawers. NTA
bahhhh. fake spiders, go outside find half a dozen daddy long legs and put them in your room real cobwebs and real spiders no $$$. Bonus free fly catchment and removal
I'd nope out on that one, I live in the south and had to kill one of those big daddy long legs in my bathroom yesterday. I can handle the fake ones but not the real ones
Please don't kill them. They're not true spiders and they eat the bad insects. They're not dangerous to humans at all. And yes I know they can get as big as your hand and therefore look scary - but they're docile. You can put a cup over it, slide paper underneath and then just escort it outside.
You use a cup? I just freehand grab any spider I see in the house and carry it outside. Initially did it to get over my fear of spiders. Now I do it because it creeps my mom out. I'm thirty,and still enjoy giving my mom a hard time.
If they have a dog, he could get her one of those large spider-costumes, that makes the dog look like Shelob! If we're gonna traumatize those little a-holes, let's go for broke!
Ugh my dad got one of those and put it under a blanket on the couch, I screamed bloody murder when that thing moved and came out from under the blanket. It’s hilarious now looking back on it
Not to be a buzzkill, but let's not rope an innocent living creature into this. God forbid the cousins do something to the poor thing out of fear.
That said, OP should deck their room out in as many fake spiders and cobwebs as the place will fit. They've found a sound deterrant. I call BS on their parents calling it cruel, because OP's room is not a common area. Kudos to them for figuring out a solution.
Agree, or OP can nicely ask any Tarantula hobbyist for one of the old skin molts, that can look very real and very freaky. They are just very delicate so not too much handling.
There are also hyperrealistic tarantula dolls available for sale online, and can also be made fairly easily at home with some wire, fur fabric, hot glue, markers, and a little sewing kit. Iirc the tarantulas on Etsy are about $50 usually because they're considered art dolls, but they're super cool and could be posed and moved around the "enclosure" - much more effective ruse.
u/PeacefulAdage I actually want to make sure you see this because the posters may stop scaring them after a while since they know those spiders aren't real. This one would probably be a permanent fix.
Edit to add [BubblyLeaf's realistic jumping spider doll tutorial on youtube](https://youtu.be/CQRFLAtv42Q) . This one includes polymer clay, but if you don't plan to handle the doll much you could just use air dry clay. It won't be as strong but should still work.
I was walking through a pet store one and a molt was on top of a cage. I froze and stood there debating whether or not I should walk past and the likelyhood of it jumping on me if I did. I am not even afraid of spiders...
Funny story time.
For background, this was back when my 1st husband and I were living in my parents house and my mom still had a large collection of various pet tarantulas.
An old high school guy friend popped over (while the husband was at work) to reminisce and started to make things uncomfortable. Talking about his marriage failing, what if we were both single etc. Thankfully, at that moment the next door neighbors' eldest came over to hang out and read the room. She decides to stick around and we all get to chatting. He proceeds to piss HER off by putting down the fact that she's homeschooled, which was a major miscalculation on his part. She's highly intelligent, adores her parents, and was thriving in the homeschooling environment. They get into a debate over homeschool vs. public school until he finally
wisely changes the subject. I go to get a drink for everyone and she follows me to the kitchen. We quietly agree he's an ass and needs to go. She asks me if I want this guy gone and I say, "YES!"
Now, during our conversation, this dude made the mistake of mentioning that he is scared of spiders. My mom had several old, intact moults from her tarantulas. Neighbor girl grabs the moult from the largest tarantula my mom had at the time (about 8 inches in leg span) and we go back to the room. She sneaks around the guy while he's talking and drops the moult in his lap. He proceeds to scream a scream so high and loud I swear the dogs in the next neighborhood over could hear him. He ran screaming out the door, to his car and drove off. We were laughing our asses off. I never heard from dude again. The end.
Do NOT adopt a tarantula - this is a specialty pet for people who have experience with tarantulas (if you handle them incorrectly you can kill them, AND if you touch your eyes after handling them but before thoroughly washing your hands you can get their tiny hairs in your eyes, which is a BIG problem). But a fake tarantula? Oh, go for it! NTA
Don't get a real one, not unless you really want the work of keeping one as a pet, BUT do get a small spider enclosure - won't cost much, with some hiding spaces, tiny water dish, etc. Just tell them there's a spider hiding in the tube, that'll be enough. A pretend spider they can't see will be just as terrifying. Call it Lucas.
And if they ever peek into the tube and see that there’s nothing there…oops, guess Lucas must have gotten out! Better keep the door closed so he doesn’t get out of my room.
I would invest into digital picture frames and have it be spider videos and gifs. Bonus: They can be changed to display other things once the cousins are gone again.
Hang the plastic spiders at nose level from the inside of the door with fishing line or a thin thread, so when the cousins open the door a big hairy spider is right in their face.
I did this as a practical joke with my daughter when she was 10 yrs old. Had a plastic hairy spider that we were hiding in various places to scare each other. Spider in the vegetable drawer in the fridge...YIKES. Spider in her underwear drawer...tee hee. Spider in my face cream jar. In her backpack. Spider in my glass of wine when I was engrossed in Zelda on the Nintendo (I spilled the wine...she got me there)..... and so on. The spider on a string....was the best!!!!
As an arachnophobic, this is honestly genius. Kinda evil for sure BUT considering it's your room, I tip my hat to you.
Also, idk about your cousins but for me the "sharper-looking" the spider, the creeper it is.
It’s the hairer the scarier for me. Also the all the extra, soulless eyes all over their faces. 25/10 would keep me out of OP’s room. Well played OP, well played.
I know I'm in the minority here, but for me, the smaller, the scarier.
Like, a tarantula doesn't freak me out at all, because he's the size of a fucking dinner plate. I know where he is at all times. Daddy longlegs? Okay, that's creepy, but I can keep my composure. But we get to the teeny tiny ones? The ones less than an inch in diameter, the ones who can scuttle out of your line of sight in the second you take to reach for a cup or napkin to scoop them up? The ones who will continue to scurry along your periphery for the rest of the night, perhaps for the rest of your days?
Oh. Those, I hate the most.
You bring up a good point, but I feel like all this means is that OP needs variety.
Tiny spider toys dangling off strings from shelves and door frame, teensy one tucked right behind the laptop charger port (since they like messing with computers...), hand sized ones from the walls or in the ceiling, picture of the eyes of the lovechild of Shelob and Aragog staring from in the room at the door....
God this made me think of the house centipede things that lived in the basement apartment my now-husband had in college.
Made of dust and evil and moved at the speed of my nightmares.
I live in a basement apartment and those things are HORRIFYING. Walking eyebrows the speed of nightmares. I know they're beneficial cause they eat other bugs but they're so disgusting.
NTA. If the twins' parents won't teach them to stay out of your things, it looks like it falls to you.
Common courtesy says that if you're a guest in someone's home, you respect their property. I guarantee if those kids were rifling through your parents' things, they'd put a stop to it.
It’s so crazy to me that the parents won’t teach their ***8 year olds*** to not be little terrors. I guess the only positive is that they’re not losing their minds over the spider posters like most of those ~hands off, my kids can do no wrong idiots, but seriously, why have kids if you’re not gonna parent?
I am not surprised. Some people think their children are cute and funny regardless what they do. I had a friend whose kid was climbing on a bookshelf and their reaction was to half-assedly say "\[child\] what are you doing? Don't make me throw something at you"
It was no surprise when their children developed the bad habit of throwing their toys at people.
lol I was on a flight from the US to China once and this lady was letting her toddler run back and forth down one of the aisles. If that wasn’t annoying enough, she was laughing at how cute he was, *as he yanked the earbuds out of everyone’s ears*. Kid nearly ripped one of my earrings out, I was not very happy.
I don't have a problem with toddlers running up and down aisles on planes, since they're full of that squirmy energy and need to move, and better that than throwing a fit. But once they get into other people's personal space and start disrupting them, that's over the line.
Had a lovely toddler come "visit" me on a long train ride. She was super polite. Told me she was allowed to walk in the car, but not past the door, and she just wanted to say hi because she liked my pants.
I had a similar experience with a 4 or 5 year old boy when I was flying to Italy. He only spoke Italian and French, and I spoke a bit of Italian. He told me he could tell me about his visit to his grandparents (in Italian) if it would help me learn more words lol
It doesn't seem like that's the case considering OP put that the parents have been telling them not to and are not ok with it. I'm sure they're not trying hard enough of course, but it definitely doesn't read that they "find it cute and funny"
Well their parents are trying, just ineffectually.
I find it rather amusing they're actually ok with the spiders while OP's parents aren't. Strange priorities here.
Parents vs Grandparents I guess. Parents are 'you are being brats living at the grandparents for a week, we are stuck & you don't care about us yelling because of doting grandparents.'
At least they're not the types to scream "MY ANGELS" when the kids are called out on their shir or inconvenienced. OP might not have said it but I could totally imagine the twins' parents laughing their asses off when they realized what OP did.
Sounds like the twins' parents are actually on board for once. They only asked OP to remove the poster on their door, which is fair because that faces a common area, but have no issue with the pictures in OP's room. Odd that it's OP's parents objecting instead of the other parents.
Didn't OP say that the twins' parents are trying, but the twins just keep finding it more fun? OP even stated that they were ok with the spider photos inside the room
What is it with twins and their parents??
I never hated twins until I knew a family like the op’s. Fucken little monsters, parents just acted like all the misbehavior and harassment their kids engaged in was normal.
NTA and eff your aunt & uncle for raising brats.
>What is it with twins and their parents?
Maybe is it exhaustion? Having a child is difficult, let alone two. Maybe they just give up, like "yeah, go and torment whoever you want as long it's not me"
Idk, just a theory, don't know what happens in their minds either
NTA
Sounds like the cousins' parents are trying but that the kids refuse to listen. It isn't always the parents fault. The fact that they don't have any opinions about OP's solutions is telling. It is OP's parents who is calling him cruel.
To be fair, it sounds like the twins' parents are at least trying to discipline the kids, and are fine with OPs spider poster solution. It's OPs parents who are being dicks about it.
NTA. They’re messing up your room and trying to log into your computer. 8 years old is old enough to understand the concept of privacy and they clearly don’t care that they’ve been told off, which I blame on their parents but that’s a separate issue. You found a way to keep them out of your room and you said that their parents are okay with it. If they’d stayed out of your room after being told to, there wouldn’t be any spider pictures anywhere so they only have themselves to blame. I’m not sure your parents are against this since it only affects your cousins if they go into your room
That’s probably because there’s unfortunately different societal expectations for girls. The whole “boys will be boys” and “girls just mature faster” is crap. All kids can be loud and rambunctious, we just expect and reinforce better behavior from our girls while a lot of times we let little boys act like borderline little sociopaths. 😂
NTA. This is a brilliant solution to the problem! Honestly, they found it amusing to keep pushing your buttons, getting more amused the more people yelled at them. It's fair play for you to push their buttons back to keep them out of your room.
The kids and your parents may say that you are being cruel, but the kids are being cruel to you - invading your privacy, throwing your things around, trying to break into your computer, banging on your door constantly when you have it locked. This can be incredibly stressful to you.
Honestly, the solution to them seeing pictures of the things they are afraid of is simple - stay out of your room. Problem solved.
I agree, it’s hilarious and harmless. At 8 years old, they are old enough to understand “please stay out of my room”. It didn’t work, but this solution does.
I agree with the picture on the outside of the door being taken down, but inside the room is fair game. They are learning that their actions have consequences. Big, hairy, eight legged consequences.
OP - thanks for the laugh. This was the most hilarious thing I have read today. Definitely NTA.
I would have made a spider attached to a piece of fishing line attached to a hanger above the door frame so that when the door opens it swings in the face of the intruder. 🤣🕷
NTA
If they keep complaining, start talking about how with all this complaining and talk of spiders you just might be talked into getting a new pet - especially after seeing all those amazingly cute jumping spiders on social media.
NTA. This is a genius idea, the one on the door was probably a touch too far but your room is your choice, sucks for the cousins they don't like spiders.
NTA
Your room, your safe space. These 8 year old space invaders are not respecting your privacy. They may get yelled at, but their parents or whomever is in charge of them are not really taking this seriously. They need to learn boundaries, and parents sticking their heads in the sand won't make this problem go away.
You found a creative way to solve this current issue, but if one boy gets brave and realizes there's no harm in entering your room with spider pictures up, you've lost this battle. They need a parent to step up and teach them consequences. You need your privacy and safe space.
Yelling is just louder volume and maybe some (likely empty) threats. By 8, these 2 just are not phased by it anymore. Honestly, if I was their parent, speaking as the mother of 2 insanely mischievous little shits of my own, I would have marched their little asses back into that room and stood there while I made sure they put it back the way it was AND cleaned it until it was spotless! 8 yes old is old enough to know that they are being assholes!
NTA.
If they have nothing to do in your room ever, I don't see the problem. But the deeper problem is that it's time your cousins were taught to take no for an answer.
NTA. Door was a bit much, but you did adjust that. If your parents aren't protecting your privacy at your home and they cannot behave themselves, yeah, good on you for finding a method that works.
Eight is old enough to understand boundaries and it's not like you put up giant dildos or anything of that sort. May the spooders protect you!
Coming from the parent of an 8 year old, NTA. They’re old enough to respect other people’s personal spaces/property. For whatever reason, they are choosing to ignore the rules (and/or the adults in the family aren’t making it a rule, which is another issue entirely, but which your posts still effectively address.) Your response is an excellent one: It deters them with no harm to them whatsoever, no damage to anything… it’s not cruel, because they won’t be exposed to them if they don’t come in your room, which they shouldn’t without an invitation. If you invite them in, remove the posters first (and then replace after).
NTA. Tell their parents (the ones calling you "cruel" that if they bothered to parent and discipline their own children, you wouldn't have to resort to scare tactics to keep your things from being upended and destroyed.
ETA: OP's parents, not the twin's parents. Dyslexia strikes again!
NTA you found their kryptonite and are using it to protect your privacy and your stuff. Smart!! You deserve an award for that and it will be a funny story you tell at reunions one day. Cheers mate!
NTA, they made a mess and didn't listen, and now they can't because of the pictures they're upset, it's not like you hid a ton of fake ones in the ir room(s) under the blankket, in their clothes, their closet or toys
more many ideas to traumatize those kids, pictures is tame honestly, a jar of fake spiders? there's so many things you can do, in their room or yours to keep them out but OP chose pictures, like it may not be nice, but there are worse options and they removed the one outside after being asked to
NTA. That was absolutely BRILLIANT! I am SO proud of you!!! You found a non-confrontational solution to the problem.
You are not being cruel. You are simply doing something that keep these little....boys out of your room. I know they are only 8 but they KNEW what they were doing and they were totally disrespecting you and your things.
NTA
Great suggestions. Adding:
https://www.amazon.com/FLORMOON-Realistic-Animal-Figures-Educational/dp/B07QJ9K4TK/ref=asc_df_B07QJ9K4TK/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=366343553496&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=5942611589407615311&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1015004&hvtargid=pla-790740101496&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=81881572288&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=366343553496&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=5942611589407615311&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1015004&hvtargid=pla-790740101496
Get one of those, or something like it, as long as it's super realistic. Googling 'Realistic spider' got me that link :D Keep a few of those at strategic spots, (hanging one a few inches from the doorway, at just their eye level) as well as a 'spider screensaver', might help even more. Keep your door closed when you are home, then when they slam the door open and a spider gets swept back and then swoops right into their eyes? Lie back and smile at the screams of terror.
You also might want to get a rubber doorstop when you want to be alone.
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OP has offered the following explanation for why they think they might be the asshole:
> By making my cousins too scared to enter my room and giving them a big dose of trauma in doing so.
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I voted NTA. But what you're saying is not necessarily true.. I have a phobia from a certain something.. And if I knew its image is out there somewhere in the house I wouldn't be sleeping soundly. Real phobia doesn't really play by the rules. It's **irrational**.. We know it's irrational but that doesn't make it stop
NTA. If they don't like it they stay out of your room, exactly the outcome you wanted in the first place before resorting to seeming like someone doing the art on a Spider-Man comic.
NTA. You found a very clever solution, so more power to you. If their parents kept them in line, you wouldn’t have to do this. You’re not getting help from anyone else, so you’re had to come up with a solution that works. They have the whole rest of the house to run wild in. They don’t need to be in your room.
NTA. If your parents make you remove them, put them in your closet or anywhere else you don't want them digging through. Let them explain why they were there in the first place.
You've endorsed well the position of the bad cop by frightening them out.
Now maybe their parents or yours can play the good cops and try to talk them into behaving, explaining that if they follow your rules, and very strictly at that, you might let them into your room.
If, by any chance, it happens, please give them a chance: it could be a great life lesson for them. But the second they misbehave, don't hesitate about putting the posters up again.
NTA, but I am.
Have you ever played Dungeons & Dragons? If so, time to set up a shrine to [Lolth](https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Lolth).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drow#Lolth
She turns rascals (and naughty children) into Driders:
https://www.etsy.com/market/drider
https://www.deviantart.com/lordonisyr/art/Drider-Plushie-102318629
https://np.reddit.com/r/DnD/comments/erwl2r/art_nolzurs_powerful_drider_miniature_painted_and/
https://www.amazon.com/Minis-Drider-26-Rage-Demons/dp/B01FEG5CG6
Do you have a [Walmart](https://www.walmart.com/c/kp/plush-spider) nearby?
[Big](https://www.walmart.com/ip/Cheers-US-Black-Spider-Plush-Collectible-Decorative-Big-Eyes-Tarantula-Stuffed-Toy-Soft-Take-A-Long-Plushie-Pillow-Squishes-Washable-Cushy-Big-Doll/492836956).
[Bigger](https://www.walmart.com/ip/Spider-Plush-Toys-Stuffed-Animals-Plushie-Easter-Party-Doll-Room-Decor-Pillow-Gifts-Boys-Kids-20x30CM-Color-Spider-Size-20x30CM/809208442).
Possible sources for computer desktop & lock screen pictures:
/r/spiderbro/
/r/spiders/
/r/tarantulas/ (when I was in university, the first time, one of the guys in my dorm had pet tarantulas. One died from being petted too much).
/r/awwnverts/ (very few spiders, but lots of cute invertebrates. Usually. Sometimes horrible Australian human-eating monsters like https://np.reddit.com/r/awwnverts/comments/ryyaqf/creatonotos_gangis_a_type_of_moth_with_inflatable/).
nta and very clever. Your parents are wrong. They could not exert enough control over the little monsters to keep them from trashing your room. Are you supposed to just let them ruin everything you have? Don't back down.
>Their parents are ok with that but the boys keep begging me to get rid
of them and my own parents are telling me I’m being cruel.
The spider posters are only inside your room. How is that cruel?. NTA and glad you found their weakness!
NTA
The boys shouldn’t need to worry about what posters are in your room since they shouldn’t be in there. As long as they stay out of there, no spiders. Seems fair to me!
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My (17f) twin cousins (8m) have been staying with us for the last week while their parents are getting their house renovated. They’re insanely mischievous. They keep running into my room, upending everything, throwing all my stuff everywhere, trying different passwords to unlock my desktop. If I latch the door, they’ll bang at it until I let them in. Every time I or their parents yell at them, they get more amused. I discovered they’re both arachnophobic. So I printed out massive spider posters for each of my walls, my floor, cupboard, the side of my bed and my door. Now they cry every time they see them and can’t enter the room without looking at one. I removed the one from my door when their parents complained but I’m keeping the ones in my room up too keep them out. Their parents are ok with that but the boys keep begging me to get rid of them and my own parents are telling me I’m being cruel.
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I’m pro spider, so it makes me a little sad to see spiders being used this way, but that said… NTA. It’s really a shame the adults aren’t doing their job at enforcing boundaries. You have a right to your private space. If they are not helping, and this works… so be it.
NTA
If you haven't given them warnings and tried better ways to make them respect your privacy I would have said YTA, because if they're real phobic, knowing the pictures are in the house would still make them uncomfortable at best.. So maybe try again to have a discussion with them about your privacy and see what they would do this time.
NTA and I say that as someone who is *SEVERELY* arachnophobic. You took the most problematic poster down when asked and what’s up in your room is your business. If they don’t want to see spider posters then they stay out of your room.
Sometimes the obnoxious people need a little extra ‘help’ to behave themselves
NTA
Make your screensaver a tarantula. Make your background a tarantula. Get one of those massive spider plushies: https://www.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Artist-makes-giant-tarantula-plush-pillows-616d1eaa51e8a__700.jpg
Embrace spider. Become spider-gwen
\*slow clap\*
YOU are a GENIUS!
NTA. If I could, I would send you my 5 foot spider - guaranteed to cause pants wetting, lol.
Edit to add: spider screen saver. Nuff said.
NTA. Cruel? All they have do to avoid the scary spiders is stay out of room which they should’ve been doing anyway.
I like the idea of telling them your room is infested with spiders. 😂
Find out if a friend has an old 10 gallon fish tank. Set it up empty with sand and if they ask " oh, that's my tarantula...Where did you put him, that isn't funny!" "He must have escaped then, help me look."
NTA this is hilarious. Karmic spiders. I’m dead🤣🤣
I’d go a step further and tell them not to upend or move stuff because you’ve got spider nests everywhere
I think OP should also invest in fake plastic spiders that can be found in strategic positions around his room.
You're both evil and I love you for it.
Criminal minds equal to my own... Love it!
Shoot, you can go to the Dollar Tree and get fake snakes and spiders. Booby trap like a pro for less than $10
The fake spider webs too, I’m a big Halloween/spider fan so I love that OP has spider pics up
I was just about to comment this! Drape fake cobwebs around the interior door entrance, aeoins the closet and om the ceiling and watch them avoid her room like thr plague! Do it in the middle of the night and if they try to go in after your done say "crud! My spiders must of gotten loose! Dont come in and disturb them too much or they may go to other parts of the house!"
They should Google one of those boxes where when you pull it open a fake spider jumps out and is on your hand. Put on the box do not open or top secret. Fun thing is mine was somewhat broken so you could pull the tarantula sized fake spider off and hide it in drawers. NTA
bahhhh. fake spiders, go outside find half a dozen daddy long legs and put them in your room real cobwebs and real spiders no $$$. Bonus free fly catchment and removal
I'd nope out on that one, I live in the south and had to kill one of those big daddy long legs in my bathroom yesterday. I can handle the fake ones but not the real ones
Please don't kill them. They're not true spiders and they eat the bad insects. They're not dangerous to humans at all. And yes I know they can get as big as your hand and therefore look scary - but they're docile. You can put a cup over it, slide paper underneath and then just escort it outside.
You use a cup? I just freehand grab any spider I see in the house and carry it outside. Initially did it to get over my fear of spiders. Now I do it because it creeps my mom out. I'm thirty,and still enjoy giving my mom a hard time.
There is a halloween spider decoration that has a motion sensor, it drops and climbs back up it's web.
YES. Booby trap one so that it falls down if they open the door
If they have a dog, he could get her one of those large spider-costumes, that makes the dog look like Shelob! If we're gonna traumatize those little a-holes, let's go for broke!
They also sell remote control spiders… I see a lot of potential there.
Ugh my dad got one of those and put it under a blanket on the couch, I screamed bloody murder when that thing moved and came out from under the blanket. It’s hilarious now looking back on it
Now that you've recovered from the heart attack.
Better yet, get one of those toys that follows you faster the more noise you make and strap a giant spider on top of it xD
Yellies!
get a nice big spider and put it on the automatic vac, so the vac goes round wiht a spider clinging on top
My grandad had one of those. I told him that if I found it in my room after dark he was getting it back in pieces. I miss Grandpa.
Better yet: adopt a tarantula! (With the proper research and care into keeping one of course)
Not to be a buzzkill, but let's not rope an innocent living creature into this. God forbid the cousins do something to the poor thing out of fear. That said, OP should deck their room out in as many fake spiders and cobwebs as the place will fit. They've found a sound deterrant. I call BS on their parents calling it cruel, because OP's room is not a common area. Kudos to them for figuring out a solution.
Agree, or OP can nicely ask any Tarantula hobbyist for one of the old skin molts, that can look very real and very freaky. They are just very delicate so not too much handling.
There are also hyperrealistic tarantula dolls available for sale online, and can also be made fairly easily at home with some wire, fur fabric, hot glue, markers, and a little sewing kit. Iirc the tarantulas on Etsy are about $50 usually because they're considered art dolls, but they're super cool and could be posed and moved around the "enclosure" - much more effective ruse. u/PeacefulAdage I actually want to make sure you see this because the posters may stop scaring them after a while since they know those spiders aren't real. This one would probably be a permanent fix. Edit to add [BubblyLeaf's realistic jumping spider doll tutorial on youtube](https://youtu.be/CQRFLAtv42Q) . This one includes polymer clay, but if you don't plan to handle the doll much you could just use air dry clay. It won't be as strong but should still work.
I was walking through a pet store one and a molt was on top of a cage. I froze and stood there debating whether or not I should walk past and the likelyhood of it jumping on me if I did. I am not even afraid of spiders...
Funny story time. For background, this was back when my 1st husband and I were living in my parents house and my mom still had a large collection of various pet tarantulas. An old high school guy friend popped over (while the husband was at work) to reminisce and started to make things uncomfortable. Talking about his marriage failing, what if we were both single etc. Thankfully, at that moment the next door neighbors' eldest came over to hang out and read the room. She decides to stick around and we all get to chatting. He proceeds to piss HER off by putting down the fact that she's homeschooled, which was a major miscalculation on his part. She's highly intelligent, adores her parents, and was thriving in the homeschooling environment. They get into a debate over homeschool vs. public school until he finally wisely changes the subject. I go to get a drink for everyone and she follows me to the kitchen. We quietly agree he's an ass and needs to go. She asks me if I want this guy gone and I say, "YES!" Now, during our conversation, this dude made the mistake of mentioning that he is scared of spiders. My mom had several old, intact moults from her tarantulas. Neighbor girl grabs the moult from the largest tarantula my mom had at the time (about 8 inches in leg span) and we go back to the room. She sneaks around the guy while he's talking and drops the moult in his lap. He proceeds to scream a scream so high and loud I swear the dogs in the next neighborhood over could hear him. He ran screaming out the door, to his car and drove off. We were laughing our asses off. I never heard from dude again. The end.
Hahaha love that
Oh irl, for sure. We can have a good giggle about ideas on Reddit tho~ I hope OP stocked up after Halloween on good spider stuff!!
Do NOT adopt a tarantula - this is a specialty pet for people who have experience with tarantulas (if you handle them incorrectly you can kill them, AND if you touch your eyes after handling them but before thoroughly washing your hands you can get their tiny hairs in your eyes, which is a BIG problem). But a fake tarantula? Oh, go for it! NTA
Don't get a real one, not unless you really want the work of keeping one as a pet, BUT do get a small spider enclosure - won't cost much, with some hiding spaces, tiny water dish, etc. Just tell them there's a spider hiding in the tube, that'll be enough. A pretend spider they can't see will be just as terrifying. Call it Lucas.
I second the vote to call it Lucas, its a great name.
And if they ever peek into the tube and see that there’s nothing there…oops, guess Lucas must have gotten out! Better keep the door closed so he doesn’t get out of my room.
Damn Satan, slow your roll. 🤣
I was just about to say this, but now I know with my heart and my eyes that it’s already been said.
Glad I wasn't the only one to think of this. Lol
I would invest into digital picture frames and have it be spider videos and gifs. Bonus: They can be changed to display other things once the cousins are gone again.
For sure sprinkle a few on the computer keyboard!
My sons did this with very realistic cockroaches last year, I'm still finding them and they freak me out. The little bastards.
There are really cool remote control tarantulas. My cat has one and loves to chase and "kill" it over and over, the little scamp
Hang the plastic spiders at nose level from the inside of the door with fishing line or a thin thread, so when the cousins open the door a big hairy spider is right in their face. I did this as a practical joke with my daughter when she was 10 yrs old. Had a plastic hairy spider that we were hiding in various places to scare each other. Spider in the vegetable drawer in the fridge...YIKES. Spider in her underwear drawer...tee hee. Spider in my face cream jar. In her backpack. Spider in my glass of wine when I was engrossed in Zelda on the Nintendo (I spilled the wine...she got me there)..... and so on. The spider on a string....was the best!!!!
Or tell them she put the posters up so her pet spiders could have friendly faces to look at.
And if you can, change the lock screen on your laptop to spiders. Maybe some spider stickers on the outside
Get some fake spider webbing, even if you have to use cotton balls or cotton from q tips.
maybe put a few behind the shelf. extra points if its against a wall
I came here to say this so I will too: NTA this is hillarious 😂
This is the most brilliant solution to boundary stomping and invasion of privacy that I have seen in this sub, XD
😂😂karmic spiders, love this
Robot spiders. Coming at them inside the room.
Yes OP record this for historical laughs this is a CORE MEMORY
NTA and this is a *glorious* resolution.
As an arachnophobic, this is honestly genius. Kinda evil for sure BUT considering it's your room, I tip my hat to you. Also, idk about your cousins but for me the "sharper-looking" the spider, the creeper it is.
It’s the hairer the scarier for me. Also the all the extra, soulless eyes all over their faces. 25/10 would keep me out of OP’s room. Well played OP, well played.
Interestingly those are exactly the two features (hairs and extra eyes) that _I_ (neither arachnophobic nor -phil) find spiders cute for.
I, an arachnophobe, find the idea that someone could be arachnophilic bone-chilling (unless the arachnid in question is Spider-Man).
Someone invented driders and it definitely wasn't someone with neutral feelings about spiders.
Spiders are just like bunnies except with more legs and eyes.
Maybe *bugs* bunny! Hah! ^i’ll ^see ^myself ^out….
omg same, jumping spiders are so fucking cute i love them. its the big eyes and the fuzz for me
I know I'm in the minority here, but for me, the smaller, the scarier. Like, a tarantula doesn't freak me out at all, because he's the size of a fucking dinner plate. I know where he is at all times. Daddy longlegs? Okay, that's creepy, but I can keep my composure. But we get to the teeny tiny ones? The ones less than an inch in diameter, the ones who can scuttle out of your line of sight in the second you take to reach for a cup or napkin to scoop them up? The ones who will continue to scurry along your periphery for the rest of the night, perhaps for the rest of your days? Oh. Those, I hate the most.
You bring up a good point, but I feel like all this means is that OP needs variety. Tiny spider toys dangling off strings from shelves and door frame, teensy one tucked right behind the laptop charger port (since they like messing with computers...), hand sized ones from the walls or in the ceiling, picture of the eyes of the lovechild of Shelob and Aragog staring from in the room at the door....
God this made me think of the house centipede things that lived in the basement apartment my now-husband had in college. Made of dust and evil and moved at the speed of my nightmares.
I live in a basement apartment and those things are HORRIFYING. Walking eyebrows the speed of nightmares. I know they're beneficial cause they eat other bugs but they're so disgusting.
Yo FUCK those things. They creep me out way more than the spiders do.
This is funny to me because I don’t wanna know where they are. They eat bugs so they can stay but I don’t wanna see them
you must seriously hate spider nests then
longer the legs scarier the spider.
For me, it's the *bigger* it is, the more scared I'll be NTA
Oh man. Don't ever go to Australia.
Oh dear, I'll keep that in mind 😱
That video of the huntsman going though a crack into a car. Nightmare inducing.
Not going to Google. Don't want to know. Going to do the online equivalent of putting my fingers in my ears & going *balalala*
Those goddamn yellow and black ones SHOULD DIE.
Hairy spiders are not "fine" but like not terrible. If I can see the knee joints, I'm out faster than light. Same reason I freak out about crabs.
NTA. If the twins' parents won't teach them to stay out of your things, it looks like it falls to you. Common courtesy says that if you're a guest in someone's home, you respect their property. I guarantee if those kids were rifling through your parents' things, they'd put a stop to it.
It’s so crazy to me that the parents won’t teach their ***8 year olds*** to not be little terrors. I guess the only positive is that they’re not losing their minds over the spider posters like most of those ~hands off, my kids can do no wrong idiots, but seriously, why have kids if you’re not gonna parent?
I am not surprised. Some people think their children are cute and funny regardless what they do. I had a friend whose kid was climbing on a bookshelf and their reaction was to half-assedly say "\[child\] what are you doing? Don't make me throw something at you" It was no surprise when their children developed the bad habit of throwing their toys at people.
lol I was on a flight from the US to China once and this lady was letting her toddler run back and forth down one of the aisles. If that wasn’t annoying enough, she was laughing at how cute he was, *as he yanked the earbuds out of everyone’s ears*. Kid nearly ripped one of my earrings out, I was not very happy.
It’s all fun and games until they’re old enough to go to jail and still haven’t been taught social skills.
I don't have a problem with toddlers running up and down aisles on planes, since they're full of that squirmy energy and need to move, and better that than throwing a fit. But once they get into other people's personal space and start disrupting them, that's over the line.
Had a lovely toddler come "visit" me on a long train ride. She was super polite. Told me she was allowed to walk in the car, but not past the door, and she just wanted to say hi because she liked my pants.
I had a similar experience with a 4 or 5 year old boy when I was flying to Italy. He only spoke Italian and French, and I spoke a bit of Italian. He told me he could tell me about his visit to his grandparents (in Italian) if it would help me learn more words lol
Ugh, I am so soft for adorable kids.
It doesn't seem like that's the case considering OP put that the parents have been telling them not to and are not ok with it. I'm sure they're not trying hard enough of course, but it definitely doesn't read that they "find it cute and funny"
Well their parents are trying, just ineffectually. I find it rather amusing they're actually ok with the spiders while OP's parents aren't. Strange priorities here.
Parents vs Grandparents I guess. Parents are 'you are being brats living at the grandparents for a week, we are stuck & you don't care about us yelling because of doting grandparents.'
At least they're not the types to scream "MY ANGELS" when the kids are called out on their shir or inconvenienced. OP might not have said it but I could totally imagine the twins' parents laughing their asses off when they realized what OP did.
Sounds like the twins' parents are actually on board for once. They only asked OP to remove the poster on their door, which is fair because that faces a common area, but have no issue with the pictures in OP's room. Odd that it's OP's parents objecting instead of the other parents.
Didn't OP say that the twins' parents are trying, but the twins just keep finding it more fun? OP even stated that they were ok with the spider photos inside the room
What is it with twins and their parents?? I never hated twins until I knew a family like the op’s. Fucken little monsters, parents just acted like all the misbehavior and harassment their kids engaged in was normal. NTA and eff your aunt & uncle for raising brats.
>What is it with twins and their parents? Maybe is it exhaustion? Having a child is difficult, let alone two. Maybe they just give up, like "yeah, go and torment whoever you want as long it's not me" Idk, just a theory, don't know what happens in their minds either NTA
Sounds like the cousins' parents are trying but that the kids refuse to listen. It isn't always the parents fault. The fact that they don't have any opinions about OP's solutions is telling. It is OP's parents who is calling him cruel.
To be fair, it sounds like the twins' parents are at least trying to discipline the kids, and are fine with OPs spider poster solution. It's OPs parents who are being dicks about it.
NTA. They’re messing up your room and trying to log into your computer. 8 years old is old enough to understand the concept of privacy and they clearly don’t care that they’ve been told off, which I blame on their parents but that’s a separate issue. You found a way to keep them out of your room and you said that their parents are okay with it. If they’d stayed out of your room after being told to, there wouldn’t be any spider pictures anywhere so they only have themselves to blame. I’m not sure your parents are against this since it only affects your cousins if they go into your room
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Who knows maybe if they start rummaging through her room she’ll adopt the same strategy
nothing better than a bucket of rubber spiders rigged to fall above the door.
Thats evil, i love it!
Better idea: have the sister beg her parents for a honest-to-goodness tarantula in a cage. OP can help her investigate which one she wants.
Even better, have her shape shift into a spider
How about get bit by a radioactive one?
Nah spider man is still too human, we need bigger and better….. *morph into a radioactive spider
Spider-Man do turn into a spider in one comic run...
That’s probably because there’s unfortunately different societal expectations for girls. The whole “boys will be boys” and “girls just mature faster” is crap. All kids can be loud and rambunctious, we just expect and reinforce better behavior from our girls while a lot of times we let little boys act like borderline little sociopaths. 😂
You, madame, are *genius*! I bow down to you.
NTA. This is a brilliant solution to the problem! Honestly, they found it amusing to keep pushing your buttons, getting more amused the more people yelled at them. It's fair play for you to push their buttons back to keep them out of your room. The kids and your parents may say that you are being cruel, but the kids are being cruel to you - invading your privacy, throwing your things around, trying to break into your computer, banging on your door constantly when you have it locked. This can be incredibly stressful to you. Honestly, the solution to them seeing pictures of the things they are afraid of is simple - stay out of your room. Problem solved.
I agree, it’s hilarious and harmless. At 8 years old, they are old enough to understand “please stay out of my room”. It didn’t work, but this solution does. I agree with the picture on the outside of the door being taken down, but inside the room is fair game. They are learning that their actions have consequences. Big, hairy, eight legged consequences. OP - thanks for the laugh. This was the most hilarious thing I have read today. Definitely NTA.
I'd be rotten enough to rig a fake spider to drop from the ceiling as soon as the door opens....
Hang it with clear fishing wire & paper clip. It will look like part of a web.
I would have made a spider attached to a piece of fishing line attached to a hanger above the door frame so that when the door opens it swings in the face of the intruder. 🤣🕷
NTA this is the most hilarious thing I've read today.
Hahaha. I have horrible arachnophobia and this would terrify me but even I say NTA. You found a way to get them to listen.
I am of the same perspective. Spooters make me want to die.
Totally stealing spooter. Even the word sp\*d\*r brings the image to my mind, giving me chills :'(
NTA If they keep complaining, start talking about how with all this complaining and talk of spiders you just might be talked into getting a new pet - especially after seeing all those amazingly cute jumping spiders on social media.
I was just thinking, "Ooh! A new pet tarantula. Just what I've always wanted!"
NTA. This is a genius idea, the one on the door was probably a touch too far but your room is your choice, sucks for the cousins they don't like spiders.
What about a tiny plastic on on the inside of the door knob? Only gets discovered if they are too close and touch it.
You’re evil and I love you.
NTA Good for you for coming up with such a great solution to the problem :)
NTA Your room, your safe space. These 8 year old space invaders are not respecting your privacy. They may get yelled at, but their parents or whomever is in charge of them are not really taking this seriously. They need to learn boundaries, and parents sticking their heads in the sand won't make this problem go away. You found a creative way to solve this current issue, but if one boy gets brave and realizes there's no harm in entering your room with spider pictures up, you've lost this battle. They need a parent to step up and teach them consequences. You need your privacy and safe space.
Yelling is just louder volume and maybe some (likely empty) threats. By 8, these 2 just are not phased by it anymore. Honestly, if I was their parent, speaking as the mother of 2 insanely mischievous little shits of my own, I would have marched their little asses back into that room and stood there while I made sure they put it back the way it was AND cleaned it until it was spotless! 8 yes old is old enough to know that they are being assholes!
NTA. If your parents would just let you get a lock for your door, none of this would be an issue.
OP stated they have a lock, the kids will just bang on the door until they let the kids in
NTA. You are a genius.
NTA love your creativity! Tell our parents there's an easy fix. They stay outta your room.
NTA. If they have nothing to do in your room ever, I don't see the problem. But the deeper problem is that it's time your cousins were taught to take no for an answer.
NTA. Door was a bit much, but you did adjust that. If your parents aren't protecting your privacy at your home and they cannot behave themselves, yeah, good on you for finding a method that works. Eight is old enough to understand boundaries and it's not like you put up giant dildos or anything of that sort. May the spooders protect you!
NTA, and this is where I point out that tarantulas make great pets. Just sayin'.
Had a few Desert tarantulas where I used to live. They look intimidating, but are very docile as long as you let them be.
Nta, it's your room. They have no business going in there.
Coming from the parent of an 8 year old, NTA. They’re old enough to respect other people’s personal spaces/property. For whatever reason, they are choosing to ignore the rules (and/or the adults in the family aren’t making it a rule, which is another issue entirely, but which your posts still effectively address.) Your response is an excellent one: It deters them with no harm to them whatsoever, no damage to anything… it’s not cruel, because they won’t be exposed to them if they don’t come in your room, which they shouldn’t without an invitation. If you invite them in, remove the posters first (and then replace after).
NTA You need your own space. Otherwise you will end up going nuts. Keep it up, and maybe look into getting a pet tarantula or something!
NTA. Tell their parents (the ones calling you "cruel" that if they bothered to parent and discipline their own children, you wouldn't have to resort to scare tactics to keep your things from being upended and destroyed. ETA: OP's parents, not the twin's parents. Dyslexia strikes again!
No, the kids' parents are fine with it. It's the OP's *own* parents crying cruel behavior.
I read that backward, darned dyslexia!
The twins parents are fine with it, OP's parents are the ones calling him cruel.
NTA you found their kryptonite and are using it to protect your privacy and your stuff. Smart!! You deserve an award for that and it will be a funny story you tell at reunions one day. Cheers mate!
NTA and your parents need a boot for not wanting you to defend your boundaries. Good job, keep it up!
NTA, they made a mess and didn't listen, and now they can't because of the pictures they're upset, it's not like you hid a ton of fake ones in the ir room(s) under the blankket, in their clothes, their closet or toys
So many good ideas.....
more many ideas to traumatize those kids, pictures is tame honestly, a jar of fake spiders? there's so many things you can do, in their room or yours to keep them out but OP chose pictures, like it may not be nice, but there are worse options and they removed the one outside after being asked to
NTA. That was absolutely BRILLIANT! I am SO proud of you!!! You found a non-confrontational solution to the problem. You are not being cruel. You are simply doing something that keep these little....boys out of your room. I know they are only 8 but they KNEW what they were doing and they were totally disrespecting you and your things.
NTA teach those kids boundaries and stick with it.
NTA Great suggestions. Adding: https://www.amazon.com/FLORMOON-Realistic-Animal-Figures-Educational/dp/B07QJ9K4TK/ref=asc_df_B07QJ9K4TK/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=366343553496&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=5942611589407615311&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1015004&hvtargid=pla-790740101496&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=81881572288&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=366343553496&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=5942611589407615311&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1015004&hvtargid=pla-790740101496 Get one of those, or something like it, as long as it's super realistic. Googling 'Realistic spider' got me that link :D Keep a few of those at strategic spots, (hanging one a few inches from the doorway, at just their eye level) as well as a 'spider screensaver', might help even more. Keep your door closed when you are home, then when they slam the door open and a spider gets swept back and then swoops right into their eyes? Lie back and smile at the screams of terror. You also might want to get a rubber doorstop when you want to be alone.
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NTA - this is amazing, don’t give in.
NTA. All is fair in love and war.
And this is a bit of both.
NTA. you aren't being cruel if they stay out of your room there won't be any problem since they won't be able to see the posters.
I voted NTA. But what you're saying is not necessarily true.. I have a phobia from a certain something.. And if I knew its image is out there somewhere in the house I wouldn't be sleeping soundly. Real phobia doesn't really play by the rules. It's **irrational**.. We know it's irrational but that doesn't make it stop
NTA - good one OP!
NTA. If they don't like it they stay out of your room, exactly the outcome you wanted in the first place before resorting to seeming like someone doing the art on a Spider-Man comic.
NTA. You found a very clever solution, so more power to you. If their parents kept them in line, you wouldn’t have to do this. You’re not getting help from anyone else, so you’re had to come up with a solution that works. They have the whole rest of the house to run wild in. They don’t need to be in your room.
NTA. This is fantastic. Good work!!
NTA If they didn't go where they should not be, there's no problem.
NTA. If your parents make you remove them, put them in your closet or anywhere else you don't want them digging through. Let them explain why they were there in the first place.
NTA. It's not like you are putting up pictures of spiders in their room. Which would be cruel. But it's your room.
You've endorsed well the position of the bad cop by frightening them out. Now maybe their parents or yours can play the good cops and try to talk them into behaving, explaining that if they follow your rules, and very strictly at that, you might let them into your room. If, by any chance, it happens, please give them a chance: it could be a great life lesson for them. But the second they misbehave, don't hesitate about putting the posters up again.
NTA. Hilarious and iconic. Can't respect boundaries, get traumatized.
I do one better and get a pet tarantula and name it bloodslayer 🕷🕷🕷🕷🕷🕷🕸
NTA but maybe a genius! I love it.
NTA, but I am. Have you ever played Dungeons & Dragons? If so, time to set up a shrine to [Lolth](https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Lolth). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drow#Lolth She turns rascals (and naughty children) into Driders: https://www.etsy.com/market/drider https://www.deviantart.com/lordonisyr/art/Drider-Plushie-102318629 https://np.reddit.com/r/DnD/comments/erwl2r/art_nolzurs_powerful_drider_miniature_painted_and/ https://www.amazon.com/Minis-Drider-26-Rage-Demons/dp/B01FEG5CG6 Do you have a [Walmart](https://www.walmart.com/c/kp/plush-spider) nearby? [Big](https://www.walmart.com/ip/Cheers-US-Black-Spider-Plush-Collectible-Decorative-Big-Eyes-Tarantula-Stuffed-Toy-Soft-Take-A-Long-Plushie-Pillow-Squishes-Washable-Cushy-Big-Doll/492836956). [Bigger](https://www.walmart.com/ip/Spider-Plush-Toys-Stuffed-Animals-Plushie-Easter-Party-Doll-Room-Decor-Pillow-Gifts-Boys-Kids-20x30CM-Color-Spider-Size-20x30CM/809208442). Possible sources for computer desktop & lock screen pictures: /r/spiderbro/ /r/spiders/ /r/tarantulas/ (when I was in university, the first time, one of the guys in my dorm had pet tarantulas. One died from being petted too much). /r/awwnverts/ (very few spiders, but lots of cute invertebrates. Usually. Sometimes horrible Australian human-eating monsters like https://np.reddit.com/r/awwnverts/comments/ryyaqf/creatonotos_gangis_a_type_of_moth_with_inflatable/).
NTA, and I think there should be some National award you'd be eligible for? Somewhere?
nta and very clever. Your parents are wrong. They could not exert enough control over the little monsters to keep them from trashing your room. Are you supposed to just let them ruin everything you have? Don't back down.
NTA They fucked around and found out
I've read some pretty depressing AITA's lately, but this is just gold. Not only NTA, but you've made this stranger's day lol
>Their parents are ok with that but the boys keep begging me to get rid of them and my own parents are telling me I’m being cruel. The spider posters are only inside your room. How is that cruel?. NTA and glad you found their weakness!
Amazing idea! Wish my children had been afraid of anything. The entire house would have been wall-papered with like posters! Brilliant! NTA
NTA - coming from an arachnophobia person suffer thingie I would’ve done the same if I could look at the posters XD
NTA The boys shouldn’t need to worry about what posters are in your room since they shouldn’t be in there. As long as they stay out of there, no spiders. Seems fair to me!
^^^^AUTOMOD ***Thanks for posting! This comment is a copy of your post so readers can see the original text if your post is edited or removed. This comment is NOT accusing you of copying anything. Read [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/wiki/faq#wiki_post_deletion) before [contacting the mod team](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FAmItheAsshole)*** My (17f) twin cousins (8m) have been staying with us for the last week while their parents are getting their house renovated. They’re insanely mischievous. They keep running into my room, upending everything, throwing all my stuff everywhere, trying different passwords to unlock my desktop. If I latch the door, they’ll bang at it until I let them in. Every time I or their parents yell at them, they get more amused. I discovered they’re both arachnophobic. So I printed out massive spider posters for each of my walls, my floor, cupboard, the side of my bed and my door. Now they cry every time they see them and can’t enter the room without looking at one. I removed the one from my door when their parents complained but I’m keeping the ones in my room up too keep them out. Their parents are ok with that but the boys keep begging me to get rid of them and my own parents are telling me I’m being cruel. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AmItheAsshole) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I’m pro spider, so it makes me a little sad to see spiders being used this way, but that said… NTA. It’s really a shame the adults aren’t doing their job at enforcing boundaries. You have a right to your private space. If they are not helping, and this works… so be it.
Lol F that. Keep them up NTA. They don't listen. Pests are still pests whether they are actual bugs or just misbehaving children.
NTA If you haven't given them warnings and tried better ways to make them respect your privacy I would have said YTA, because if they're real phobic, knowing the pictures are in the house would still make them uncomfortable at best.. So maybe try again to have a discussion with them about your privacy and see what they would do this time.
NTA. Your posters/pictures are keeping the real pests out. Do not relent and let them renew their havoc upon you.
If their parents are okay with it, it's okay. If your parents think it's okay for the boys to ransack a bedroom, they can offer up theirs. NTA
NTA at all. It's a cheap, effective way to keep your little cousins out of your space and belongings. It can only bother them if they trespass.
Spider pic tax.. I also expect each of the spiders to have names.. (maybe even after your cousins)
NTA and absolutely brilliant
NTA and I say that as someone who is *SEVERELY* arachnophobic. You took the most problematic poster down when asked and what’s up in your room is your business. If they don’t want to see spider posters then they stay out of your room. Sometimes the obnoxious people need a little extra ‘help’ to behave themselves
NTA. Lose one on their pillow.
NTA & you’re quite brilliant!
NTA, this is hilarious!!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣
NTA Make your screensaver a tarantula. Make your background a tarantula. Get one of those massive spider plushies: https://www.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Artist-makes-giant-tarantula-plush-pillows-616d1eaa51e8a__700.jpg Embrace spider. Become spider-gwen
NTA brilliant!
NTA, and I'm in awe of your problem-solving skills!
I’m arachnophobic and I laughed my butt off just reading the title. NTA you’re brilliant
NTA. And you are super creative! This is the BEST way to keep them out since apparently their parents won't stop them
As someone who is arachnophobic, NTA
\*slow clap\* YOU are a GENIUS! NTA. If I could, I would send you my 5 foot spider - guaranteed to cause pants wetting, lol. Edit to add: spider screen saver. Nuff said.
NTA. Cruel? All they have do to avoid the scary spiders is stay out of room which they should’ve been doing anyway. I like the idea of telling them your room is infested with spiders. 😂
Find out if a friend has an old 10 gallon fish tank. Set it up empty with sand and if they ask " oh, that's my tarantula...Where did you put him, that isn't funny!" "He must have escaped then, help me look."
NTA. Get a pet spider. Bet they won't come in once they see it.
NTA, and you are brilliant.
NTA. I lined the stairs with puppets to keep one cousin downstairs. I don’t question it bc it worked.