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By Jack Beresford
Senior Reporter
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A mom took an unorthodox approach to dealing with a creepy-crawly she found lurking on her staircase.
Alyssa Renda, from Las Vegas, has always hated spiders, insects and other small animals. "Ever since I was a kid, they have scared me," she told Newsweek.
So, when Renda discovered what viewers suspected was an anole lizard hiding underneath their stair gate, she was totally unprepared. "He was a teeny-tiny guy and we live in the desert so they are common, but they do not usually come in the house," Renda said.
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Anole lizards do not pose any threat. They are incapable of producing toxins or venoms like other lizards and snakes and don't have teeth or claws.
But Renda's fear is understandable in the wider context of phobias across the U.S. Phobias are a common part of life for a vast number of people. The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that 12.5 percent of adult Americans have experienced a phobia at one time in their lives.
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Fortunately, for Renda, help was close at hand in the form of her young daughter, Frankie. In a video posted to TikTok six days ago under the handle @lyss.x.o0, Renda can be seen attempting to convince the apprehensive toddler to flick the lizard gently into a container to be thrown back outside.
Though Frankie appeared unsure, telling her mom "no, I cant'" on the video, Renda had a pretty clear idea of what she wanted to achieve in enlisting her young daughter's help. "I'm trying to teach her to be brave and not scared, so she can help me in future encounters," she said.
Renda was also aware of the hilarity of a grown-up getting a young child to deal with this kind of thing. "When you as a parent are not grown enough to handle situations like this," Renda wrote alongside the clip.
The fearful mom added that there will be plenty of parents out there who can relate to this kind of experience. "We may be grown adults, but we can still be scared of some things," she said. "I know there are others out there who feel the same."
Renda said that, though it may have been unconventional, Frankie definitely got something out of the experience. "I definitely think it helped her," she said.
Renda added that, ultimately, Frankie wasn't the one who ended up disposing of the lizard. "In the end, she didn't want to help, so she watched me safely put him into the bowl and release him in my front yard," Renda said. "She said, 'Good job, mama,' afterwards. I think the next situation she may be able to handle."
Many of the comments accompanying the video noted how relatable this kind of situation is. "We had a cricket in the house and my son said I needed a husband," one wrote, with a second commenting: "My son caught a frog that was jumping around my room. He's 4 lmao [laughing my a** off] I was scared."
There were a few dissenting voices among those writing alongside the video, though. One branded it "ridiculous," while another called it "bad parenting." A third posted: "You're supposed to be the protector."
Renda is happy to ignore the haters, though. "You have to laugh at the comments like that. You can't judge based off a 10-second video. It was meant to be light-hearted and funny," she said.
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