Grandparents Raising Children Support Group
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I am not raising my grandchildren, but I am their daycare. Something has come to light with them that is troubling me, and I don't know what to do.
My 11-year-old granddaughter has told me for a long time that she feels there are ghosts in their house. She said she sees "figures that are darker than the dark" in her room at night. She's afraid to be alone in the house. At night, she goes around and turns on all the lights in the house.
Yesterday, my 7-year-old granddaughter and I had a very interesting conversation, out of the blue, that went something like this:
Her: What does "paranormal" mean?
Me: It's like things that aren't normal and are hard to explain--like ghosts.
Her: Ghosts are real. There are ghosts in our house.
Me: Really? Tell me about them.
Her: The one I see most is a little girl. She lives in [11-year-old]'s closet.
Me: What is her name?
Her: Rose.
Me: What else do you know about her?
Her: She died in a hospital. She used to live in my house with her parents.
Me: Does she scare you?
Her: Sometimes, but she doesn't mean to.
Me: Tell me more about her.
Her: Her clothes are all ripped up.
Me: Do you know why?
Her: No.
Me: Is she wearing a dress?
Her: No, it's like pajamas.
Me: Are there other ghosts?
Her: Yes. [11-year-old] has another ghost in her room.
Me: Tell me about it.
Her: He wears a dress.
Me: He's a boy and he wears a dress?
Her: Yes. He was killed because nobody would adopt him.
Me: Really?
Her: Yes. He lived in an adoption home. Nobody wanted to adopt him, so they killed him.
Me: Do you know how long ago?
Her: No, but I think it was a really long time ago. His dress looks very old.
Me: Do you talk to him?
Her: No, he talks mean. I don't like him.
Me: How old is he?
Her: He's 17.
Me: Does [11-year-old] see him, too?
Her: Yes.
Me: Does she see Rose?
Her: I don't know, I think so.
Me: Does [6-year-old sister] see them?
Her: No. She doesn't know about it either. Don't tell her.
Me: Have you told mom and dad about this?
Her: No, they wouldn't believe me.
Me: Do you want me to tell mom and dad?
Her: No.
That was all very matter of fact, while she's playing a game. She was very serious and there was no indication that she was making it up. She didn't have to think about any of the answers. She answered every question instantly. I didn't perceive any deception on her part. I'm pretty good at telling when she's lying.
The 6-year-old sister spent the night with me last night. So this morning, I asked her if she is afraid to be at her house. She said no. I asked her if she ever sees anything in her house that scares her. She said, "No. They don't scare me." I asked what it was that doesn't scare her. She said when she goes to get a drink at night, she sees black and blue circles that run across the floor from the kitchen, through the family room, toward the back door. She doesn't know where they go because she can't see around the corner. She said they are "glowing." She said maybe some day she will be brave enough to get closer to them. Apparently she stands in the hallway and watches until they all disappear.
So now all three girls, completely independent of each other, have told me about this activity they see in their house. I know the oldest has told her parents about her fears, but they have told her it's not real. I also know she is genuinely very scared. I don't think the 7-year-old is quite as scared, but I don't think she's seen the "figures that are darker than the dark."
I believe the girls. I believe they are experiencing something extraordinary. I don't know if I should tell their parents. I don't want them to be scared and suffering alone, but I don't want to betray my 7-year-old's trust. I have very mixed emotions about this. I don't know if their parents would believe me if I told them. It's possible my son would believe me, but I'm pretty sure my daughter-in-law would not.
I would appreciate any thoughts anyone has on this.
My 11-year-old granddaughter has told me for a long time that she feels there are ghosts in their house. She said she sees "figures that are darker than the dark" in her room at night. She's afraid to be alone in the house. At night, she goes around and turns on all the lights in the house.
Yesterday, my 7-year-old granddaughter and I had a very interesting conversation, out of the blue, that went something like this:
Her: What does "paranormal" mean?
Me: It's like things that aren't normal and are hard to explain--like ghosts.
Her: Ghosts are real. There are ghosts in our house.
Me: Really? Tell me about them.
Her: The one I see most is a little girl. She lives in [11-year-old]'s closet.
Me: What is her name?
Her: Rose.
Me: What else do you know about her?
Her: She died in a hospital. She used to live in my house with her parents.
Me: Does she scare you?
Her: Sometimes, but she doesn't mean to.
Me: Tell me more about her.
Her: Her clothes are all ripped up.
Me: Do you know why?
Her: No.
Me: Is she wearing a dress?
Her: No, it's like pajamas.
Me: Are there other ghosts?
Her: Yes. [11-year-old] has another ghost in her room.
Me: Tell me about it.
Her: He wears a dress.
Me: He's a boy and he wears a dress?
Her: Yes. He was killed because nobody would adopt him.
Me: Really?
Her: Yes. He lived in an adoption home. Nobody wanted to adopt him, so they killed him.
Me: Do you know how long ago?
Her: No, but I think it was a really long time ago. His dress looks very old.
Me: Do you talk to him?
Her: No, he talks mean. I don't like him.
Me: How old is he?
Her: He's 17.
Me: Does [11-year-old] see him, too?
Her: Yes.
Me: Does she see Rose?
Her: I don't know, I think so.
Me: Does [6-year-old sister] see them?
Her: No. She doesn't know about it either. Don't tell her.
Me: Have you told mom and dad about this?
Her: No, they wouldn't believe me.
Me: Do you want me to tell mom and dad?
Her: No.
That was all very matter of fact, while she's playing a game. She was very serious and there was no indication that she was making it up. She didn't have to think about any of the answers. She answered every question instantly. I didn't perceive any deception on her part. I'm pretty good at telling when she's lying.
The 6-year-old sister spent the night with me last night. So this morning, I asked her if she is afraid to be at her house. She said no. I asked her if she ever sees anything in her house that scares her. She said, "No. They don't scare me." I asked what it was that doesn't scare her. She said when she goes to get a drink at night, she sees black and blue circles that run across the floor from the kitchen, through the family room, toward the back door. She doesn't know where they go because she can't see around the corner. She said they are "glowing." She said maybe some day she will be brave enough to get closer to them. Apparently she stands in the hallway and watches until they all disappear.
So now all three girls, completely independent of each other, have told me about this activity they see in their house. I know the oldest has told her parents about her fears, but they have told her it's not real. I also know she is genuinely very scared. I don't think the 7-year-old is quite as scared, but I don't think she's seen the "figures that are darker than the dark."
I believe the girls. I believe they are experiencing something extraordinary. I don't know if I should tell their parents. I don't want them to be scared and suffering alone, but I don't want to betray my 7-year-old's trust. I have very mixed emotions about this. I don't know if their parents would believe me if I told them. It's possible my son would believe me, but I'm pretty sure my daughter-in-law would not.
I would appreciate any thoughts anyone has on this.
Does the 11-year-old watch those "Ghost Hunter" TV shows?
The fact that her sister sees something - but something completely different -- is the strangest part.
Would it be out of the ordinary for you to sleep over there with them one night and spend the night in her room? I would do it, just to reassure her that you don't think she's crazy. Preferably you wouldn't have to tell her parents why - just that the girls asked you to spend the night...
I'm not sure what I believe regarding apparitions. I've never actually seen one, but I used to work in a theatre where I could be totally alone and fine - except for one particular area that was no more or less "spooky" than the rest of the shadowed theatre. I wouldn't go there, and others avoid that area as well, even though nobody saw or heard anything.
By spending the night with her, you'd at least be acknowledging that her fear (if not the apparitions) is real. That alone might help...
The reason I think my son might believe me/them is two-fold. First, he saw an apparition in our living room, one time, when he was about 13. It was in the middle of the day and the rest of us were in the family room. He came into the family room a white as a sheet. He said, "Mom, I just saw a man sitting in front of the couch in the living room." Of course, we jumped up to go check it out. Then he explained he stood and stared at the guy for about 30 seconds. He said the guy stared back at hem. He turned to come tell me, then turned back to look again. When he turned back, the guy was gone. As scared as he was, I had no doubt he saw what he said he saw. That house had lots and lots of unusual activity, like things being broken when everyone else was in another room, the pool being filled to the brim when no one was home (and we had 3 doberman pincers in the back yard), etc. The other reason he might believe is because right after they moved into the house, the now 7-year-old was about 3. One night he was walking toward her room and heard her talking, so he stopped to listen. It sounded as though she were having a conversation. She said, "No, it's okay, my dad's watching tv." Then a couple of seconds later, "No, really, my dad can't hear us. Don't worry. He's watching tv."
I believe they are seeing and feeling what they tell me they are seeing and feeling, and they know I believe them. I don't think they are crazy. I saw an apparition when I was about 12. It came into my room. It walked around my bed and looked down at my sister. Then it continued through my room into my other sister's room. She must have sensed something because in her sleep she said, "Get out of here. I'm sleeping." The apparition came back out of her room, paused by my bed momentarily, and then left my room. It was a pure white mist, in the shape of a person. When I say it looked down at my sister, I couldn't see any facial features, but I could see its head tilt down, so I assume it was looking at her sleeping. I haven't told the 7- or 6-year-olds about it. I told the 11-year-old after she started telling me about her experiences.
I plan to have a long talk with the 11-year-old this weekend. It's her turn to spend the night Friday, so we can talk at length without her sisters overhearing her. I want to see if she validates what the 7-year-old has told me. The 11-year-old has never mentioned to me that the 7-year-old is seeing things. I also want to know if she has ever seen the black and blue circles that the 6-year-old is seeing.
What I would really like to do is some research on the house and find out if there was ever a little girl named Rose who ever lived in the house. I just don't think it's possible to do that. All I can think to do is look for newspaper stories about little girls named Rose who died in area hospitals.
I have a very strong faith in God. I have been praying that if there are spirits in their house, that He will help those spirits to move on and leave the little girls alone. This is such a strange problem, that's all I know what to do to help them at this point. If it gets worse, I will have to get their dad involved.
http://www.spooksinvestigations.com/evidence.html