A mum has hit back at critics who reported her to child protection services after she "punched" a spider crawling on her toddler daughter.
In a viral Facebook post, Megan Garcia described the horrifying moment a "massive wolf spider" appeared on her 18-month-old child's summer dress during a photoshoot.
The insects, which are common where the 32-year-old lives in the US state of Texas, can bite and cause infections.
She wrote: "I ran to my poor precious child god saw fit to bless me with and PUNCH HER RIGHT IN THE CHEST where that many-legged demon was now sunbathing and sipping a mojito."
She entitled the post 'The story of why I punched my child' and says she told the terrifying account in a purposefully humorous and dramatic way, The Sun reports.
Megan likened the spider to a giant 'aragog' spider in Harry Potter and admitted she overreacted because of her own arachnophobia.
But since uploading the post, Megan has been reported to Child Protective Services (CPS) three times.
NAS Jacksonville: Plane carrying 136 passengers 'skids off' runway into river
Megan said "thankfully" CPS inspectors told her they "thought the claim was a little ridiculous" and cleared her after conducting interviews with her husband and children.
The case has now been written off which means that any further complaints CPS may receive about the incident will not be investigated.
The 32-year-old said she was shocked to find her post had been shared over 93,000 times in less than a week.
She said: "I don't make that sort of thing a habit and I didn't hit her hard. It was mostly a subconscious effort to battle my ridiculous fear of spiders and saving my child from being eaten whole."
North Korea fires short-range missile for first time since 2017 as tensions rise
Despite the stress of being visited by social services, Megan said she understands why people were concerned.
"I get it," she said. "I get that they maybe think they're doing the right thing.
"But if anything, it's given me the chance to prove that I'm a good mum.
"I don't have anything to hide, I can't say that I would have done anything different."
