Your poor son. I am 38 and that would creep me out! I have always had this fear of cockroaches probably b/c I grew up in an old pier and beam house and we have those huge ones around here. If one appeared on a wall or on the floor I would freak out and even though my mom would dispose of it, I was sure it was coming back to life and crawl all over me while I slept. Even today I can not deal with roaches or spiders for that matter. So maybe I am gullible but by what you described of his reaction to the ball it sounds like genuine fear. As for how to over come it? That is a hard one and I think the idea of cutting open the ball and showing him the toys fits under the mentality of facing your fears but do be careful that just might backfire on you and now you let them free. I think the best thing is to not make a big deal out of it and feed into his fears almost ignoring it and if he is acting he will soon get bored.
