The Vacuum Monster

My kids are both afraid of the vacuum cleaner. Brennan has always hated it. He has this strange sensitivity to loud sounds. Anytime I do anything that makes loud noises (i.e. blowdrier, food processor, mixer) he covers his ears and/or leaves the room. He begs me to stop. The vacuum cleaner is no exception. Every time I vacuum he runs away & covers his ears. He'll even hide under a blanket sometimes until I'm done. Well, Elsie has joined the ranks of being afraid of the vacuum monster, too. She's been ok up until this point. She usually just plays & it doesn't bother her. Maybe Brennan's fear has made her afraid. Yesterday when I vacuumed she crawled after me hanging on to the back of my legs screaming. It isn't easy to vacuum with someone hanging off the back of you. So, I tried holding her while I cleaned. That's not easy either, especially when you are dodging shoes & toys as you go along. Elsie is at that stage where she eats anything on the floor, though. I really have to vacuum a lot. I found a dead bug in her mouth the other day. That was fabulous. I find chunks of playdough, rocks, strings, dog hair, old kleenex, and many other unrecognizable things. I guess that's part of this crawling stage. So, the vacuum monster will continue to be out & about regularly. My kids will just have to get over their fears.