When mom instincts meet motherhood fears: The moment a spider tested one mother’s courage

When Piper Yates, a mom, shared a clip on TikTok, it started like any other late-night check on her sleeping baby. The little one was tucked peacefully in her crib, a picture of perfect serenity. But as Piper looked closer, she noticed something else in the crib—an uninvited guest crawling right beside her newborn. The caption said it all: “Send help.”

@piperleonie_ Send help xo #fyp ♬ Oh No – Kreepa

Within days, the post had racked up more than 1.6 million views, sparking the kind of comments only parents could deliver—equal parts horrified and hilarious.

Related: Mom checks on baby at 3 a.m.—and is stunned to see who’s on the changing table

The hilarious helplessness of an encounter with a spider

“I’d like to think my mum’s instincts would take over and I’d be able to get rid. But I know instead I’d be vacuuming the baby whilst we both cry,” @absentfish confessed. @tapitasan added, “nah, it’s their baby now. their crib. their house.” And the most relatable of all said @khiaramsdennew: “Are you allowed to call the police in situations like this🤣🤣🤣.”

The night it happened

Speaking to Newsweek, Yates explained how her nightmare began. She felt something brush against her arm, assumed it was just her hair in the breeze of the fan, and then watched in horror as a spider launched itself directly onto her baby.

Absolutely petrified, she did what many of us would: froze. She grabbed her phone to film, partly to make sure her eyes weren’t deceiving her, and then shook her partner awake to take over.

“I think I actually stopped breathing for a moment,” she said. “I ended up waking my partner up to get the spider because I genuinely don’t think I would’ve been able to.”

Related: Mom checks baby monitor—and sees a crib moment she’ll never forget

What this moment really shows us

The spider was eventually removed without disturbing the baby—who slept soundly through the drama. For parents watching, though, the video unlocked something deeper: the raw reality of how fear and instinct collide in motherhood.

Parenting pushes our boundaries just as much as it expands our hearts.Sometimes instinct drives us to act without thinking; other times, it reminds us we can’t do everything alone. And in those messy, very human moments—when fear and instinct collide—parents discover the truth: we don’t have to be fearless to protect our kids. We just have to keep showing up, even if that means calling in backup.