dad is talking about going austrailia at xmas

[Nostalgia]

my dad has been talking about going to australia next christmas, i said i dont want to go to australia because of all the spiders and snakes (im scared of snakes and spiders esp the deadly ones ) so i told my dad this and he said thats ok you can stay here home alone at christmas then. he was being serious really serious and i said i dont want to be home alone at christmas without my family because thats family time. andmy dad said so if you dont want to come australia then stay home alone at christmas. i know christmas is a long time off but im worried that i will be home alone at christmas what do i do ?

[AlkalineTears]

I've stayed home alone for christmas for quite a few years, I wanted my parents to enjoy their time up north together.

Its not as bad as you would think, its just christmas - another passing day.
Maybe itll give you some time to relax by yourself, like it does for me.

[Emily.]

Hey there. I definitely think the best thing you can do is to talk with your parents about this. If you truly have a fear of going to australia, try your best to explain that to them. And Christmas is a long ways off, there's always a chance plans will change before them.

I am going to go ahead and move this to the Friends and Family Forum as I think it fits better there. Feel free to PM if you have any questions.

I hope everything works out for you.
<3 Emily

[Pixel'd]

I think that you are building up a lot of fear in your head about a potentially amazing trip. A friend of mine had recently visited Australia and had no incidents involving spiders or snakes.I hope that this can help clear up some of your spider and snake fears.

Australia has two spiders whose bites can cause death – the red-back spider and the funnel-web spider. There have been no deaths from red-back bites since anti-venom became available in 1956. Red-backs are shy and will feign death in preference to biting. Bites usually occur when the spider is forced into contact with a person. Funnel-web bites are much less common because funnel-webs are bigger and more easily seen. On average around 5 or 6 bites require anti-venom treatment each year in Australia.

A variety of other venomous spiders, such as the mouse spider and the wolf spider's venom can be very painful but is not life threatening and the spiders themselves are not aggressive – bites are uncommon.

To avoid bites:
- Shake out your shoes before putting them on
- Don’t leave clothes and towels lying around outside
- Don’t walk around outside at night without shoes

Snakes bite people for a variety of reasons. Most commonly it is because people deliberately interact with them, by attempting to catch, kill or hurt them. In most instances if a snake is left alone they will move away from a confrontation; it is not often, if ever that a snake will bite or 'attack' a person for no apparent reason. Snakes are not aggressive, but are highly defensive by nature.


However, if you still feel uneasy about taking a trip to Australia - I would suggest trying to arrange something with a close friend or relatives that are not vacationing during the holiday season.

[~CourageousSurvivor~]

Hey there,

Sounds like a tough situation. I know it sucks when parents make plans and they do not seem to consult us. Sometimes parents do not realize that when they make big decisions like this they should consider talking to us as well.

The best advice I can give you is to talk to your parents and explain your concerns. They might not really realize how it is all affecting you but once the communication is opened it might help them figure it out.

I don't know if talking to your parents will cause them to not want to go to Australia but it could help open their eyes and get them to see that some things need to be worked out before it all happens.

Hang in there and if you need anything feel free to pm me.

Jenna

[Pelios]

Yes there are snakes and spiders in Australia but also in the rest of the world, I think you are overreacting a little. Snakes are almost exclusively found nesting only in rural areas away from people. As for spiders the once in the houses or hotel are the long leg spiders they get up in the corners of the ceilings, and are harmless.
If you don’t want to go ask a friend if you could spend Christmas with them for maybe your grandparents.
Good Luck.!

[~*Free_Falling*~]

Don't know if this will make you feel better but I've lived in Australia (Sydney, home of the notorious funnel web) for 14 years and am yet to receive a single spider bite. I've never seen a live snake anywhere except the zoo either. However if you feel really strongly about not going, I don't suppose you could try to discuss it with your dad? See if they can't work out any alternate holiday destinations.