It was a typical Thursday evening when the strange occurrence took place. My family and I were gathered in the living room, enjoying dinner while watching whatever Disney flick was available on Netflix. My 2-year-old daughter, Lily, decided to come over from her cozy spot on the floor and snuggled into my lap.
“Hey, sweetheart,” I murmured, gently running my fingers through her wild curls. Evening time is my favorite; she’s just sleepy enough to be extra cuddly without being a complete handful.
“Mommy,” Lily whispered, “I think there’s a sad little girl.”
I instinctively placed my hand on my belly, where her little brother was growing. We were just starting to explain that the bump in mommy’s tummy was a new sibling she could soon play with. My heart melted at the thought that she was trying to connect with her future sibling.
“Aw, honey! Your little brother isn’t sad. He’s super happy because he’s going to have an amazing big sister like you!”
Lily shook her head, popping a piece of cheese into her mouth. “No, Mommy. Not him.”
“What do you mean, then? Which little girl is sad?”
Without hesitation, she pointed behind the couch where my partner was sitting. “The little girl with the red eyes.”
Um, excuse me? Hold the phone. My toddler was only 2, and I highly doubted she got this concept from kids’ shows. Plus, for all her imaginative play with dolls, she wasn’t exactly the type to invent spooky scenarios on her own.
Things escalated quickly. Lily raised her finger, pointing to a corner of the room, and added, “Right there!”
My heart sank. In that moment, I felt an overwhelming urge to gather our belongings, set fire to the place, and flee to a new city—any city. Who cares if we just bought our dream home? No house is worth living with a red-eyed spirit roaming around.
What in the world do you do when your child casually mentions a ghost?
I promptly wrapped up our little picnic and took Lily to bed. Then, I found myself back downstairs, frantically searching online for “how to deal with ghosts” (which, let me tell you, resulted in a mixed bag of amusing, helpful, and downright terrifying advice).
First, I had to eliminate any non-paranormal explanations. Check. We live nowhere near a dumpster, so it’s unlikely raccoons were scratching at our roof. Even if they were, I doubted Lily would confuse that with a ghostly presence.
Next, I read that we should try to make “friendly contact” with the spirit. Look, I consider myself open-minded, but I’ll admit I have a bias against red-eyed apparitions. So, friendly chats were off the table. That left me with option three: an exorcism.
And as a child of the ’80s, no thank you. I’ve seen the horror movies and had the nightmares—you get the drift.
For about an hour, I scrolled and read, shaking my head at the dismal lack of guidance for “Red-Eyed Ghost Child in My Living Room.” I even came across an essential oils thread (because, of course), and was baffled when even the most devoted oil enthusiasts couldn’t provide a remedy for a ghost. I thought those things cured everything!
Feeling overwhelmed and anxious about the prospect of sharing my home with a phantom, I resorted to the last desperate measure a parent could take: I posted about it on social media.
Yes, I was that desperate. “Hey, everyone. My kid just saw a demon-faced girl in the corner of our den. Any advice?”
To my astonishment, the responses came pouring in. Apparently, kids seeing ghosts is a common phenomenon! I received countless stories about encounters after funerals, hauntings in old homes, you name it. One mom shared that her 3-year-old twins had a tea party with a woman named Edna—who happened to be their late great-grandmother, never mentioned before. They even served her vanilla rose tea, her favorite!
As more parents chimed in, I felt a wave of relief wash over me; I wasn’t alone in this eerie situation. Intrigued, I decided to dig into the history of our 100-year-old home.
And wouldn’t you know it, a little girl lived here in the early 1900s.
Just kidding—I made that up. But over the following months, my daughter continued to reference her “red-eyed friend,” whom she called “Sleepy Angel,” just to add an extra layer of creepiness.
Fortunately, after the arrival of her brother, Sleepy Angel seemed to vanish. This could mean anything, but I’m choosing to see it as a positive sign and ignoring any potential horror movie plots.
In conclusion, nobody warned me that kids might possess an uncanny ability to see spirits. Since it’s a real phenomenon, I feel it’s my duty to share this information so you aren’t caught off guard during your family movie nights. Remember, you’re not alone in this bizarre situation. I’d love to hear your spooky stories!
And by the way, if anyone’s interested, we recently listed our charming historic home in the Coastal Southeast. Just throwing it out there—no reason at all!
Summary:
In this humorous and slightly spooky tale, Jamie recounts an unsettling experience where her toddler, Lily, claims to see a sad little girl with red eyes in their home. As Jamie navigates her fear and confusion, she turns to the internet and social media for help, discovering that many children seem to have similar experiences with spirits. Ultimately, after the birth of Lily’s brother, the ghostly presence fades away, leaving Jamie to reflect on the strange yet common phenomenon of children seeing ghosts.
Keyphrase: Your Child Might Be Able to See Spirits
Tags: home insemination kit, home insemination syringe, self insemination