Sometimes, even the bravest of parents can get caught up in scary stories and ideals such as ghosts and monsters. The horror movie business is always booming, because people loved to be scared and feel the rush of adrenaline that it gives you. However, watching it in a movie and having an experience you can not explain are two completely different things. Children have very vivid and active imaginations, and there have always been the tales of the “imaginary friends” and creative fantasy play, but some children go as far as to say that they are seeing “ghosts” which can have mom and dad a little worried.
If mom and dad are skeptics, they may brush it off as another episode of their child’s imagination running away with them. If mom and dad are believers, they may start to get scared and wonder if they need to call in paranormal investigators, a priest, or start blessing their home to cleanse it. However, is there more to children seeing “ghosts” than there actually being ghosts in the home? The truth may be debatable, but all we can do is look at what experts and mother’s have to say about the whole thing.
An Example
It is always best to have an example to base our research off, and there are no shortages of experiences that are shared by moms. According to The Every Mom, one mom shared her experience of her child experiencing the “paranormal.” One mother explained how she went to look at a new home with her 3-year-old child. They went and saw the home they wanted to purchase and later talked about it as a family. When she asked her young daughter what she thought of the home, she said that she like it. She also said that the “little boy” that lives there is really nice.
When mom asked her daughter what she was talking about, as no little boy lived there, her daughter went on to explain that she saw a little boy in the dining room who was standing in his pajamas. After that day, she said that her daughter never mentioned the boy again, and she would not relay the story to her father.
What does a Psychologist Say?
It is always good to get an expert’s point of view on what may be going on physiologically when we think our children are seeing ghosts. The internet is riddled with tales of children seeing the paranormal and having these experiences, and the theory has always been that since they are young and “innocent,” they are more prone to having ghosts appear to them. According to The Washington Post, Jacqueline D. Woolley is a psychology professor at the University of Texas, and she has spent hours researching children and their understanding of real life vs. fantasy.
Jacqueline says that it can all come down to how the brain works. She said that minds will naturally make connections between events, even if they are not connected. This says more about how a parent interprets what their child is saying. If their child comes to them and says they saw a ghost, our brain may interpret what they said and fit it into what we want to believe. An event that could have been a dream, or have other natural explanations for, could be interpreted as a parent as them saying they saw a ghost. If mom tries to understand, and asks her child if it was a ghost, her child may go along because that sounds a lot more exciting.
What Should Mom Do?
It can be alarming if a child comes to you and tells you that they are seeing ghosts, it can be alarming, but there are some things you can do. According to Medium, the first thing you want to do is remain calm. It could be your first instinct to get a little “freaked out,” and even if you do or don’t believe, this can make your child afraid and it could cause some issues in regards to them sleeping at night, or going into the space they say they saw something.
Ask some descriptive questions, try and find out what your child saw, and this may help you determine what may be bothering your child, if this is caused by something that is upsetting to them. Perhaps the “ghost” they are seeing is a dream, and a description may point you to a certain person or event that is bothering them.
They also gave a general “rule of thumb” piece of advice to parents and that is to treat the ghost how you would treat an imaginary friend. When children say that they are seeing ghosts, they really believe it, even if you do not. It would be hurtful to tell them that they are “imagining” it or to tell them that it “doesn’t exist.” When moms make these types of blanket statements, the only thing it may cause is that their child will be less reluctant to tell them about future experiences.
Sources: Medium, The Washington Post, The Every Mom