As a parent, how do you conquer your fear of something so your child doesn’t have to suffer the same fear?

I am terrified of snakes.  I don’t even really know why.  We don’t live in an area with poisonous snakes. The snakes we encounter are generic black snakes and garter snakes.  They are completely harmless.  Tell that to an irrational brain.

This evening my husband and I were playing in the backyard with our son.  I headed to the back door to check the time as it was getting close to our son’s bedtime.  As I neared the backdoor, I decided to cut through the flowerbed and noticed a black snake lurking in a plant.  I screamed, threw down the toys I was holding, and raced to where my husband was standing about 30 yards away.  I immediately tried to climb him (I was seeking higher ground), but caught him off guard and ended up throwing both of us to the ground.  I continued to scream.  Meanwhile, our son sensed my extreme emotional distress and became very distraught himself (it’s sweet, right?).  I jumped up, grabbed him, and climbed to the top of his slide to wait for my husband to “deal” with the snake.  

Prior to the birth of my son, anytime I had a “snake sighting” I would sob for 30 minutes or more.  Now, I can’t do that.  He’s taking his cues from me.  Tonight, each time I started to cry, my son would start to cry.  That was enough to make me stop.  I managed to delay my meltdown until after we tucked him in.  He’s so little and impressionable.  I don’t want him to fear snakes like I do. 

But it’s not just snakes I fear!  Worms have a similar effect on me, though not quite as dramatic.  I don’t know much about raising kids, but don’t little boys enjoy writhing, squirming worms?  Don’t they love showing gross things to their mommies?  I hope and pray I never find out, yet I also don’t want my children hindered from experiencing dirt just because I’m a little crazy!

So, how do I keep him from fearing the same things I fear?