There are those who believe that children, especially those who are young, are more attuned to the supernatural, more able to see the unseen, and more open to things that can't be understood. That may be true. Or it could also be true that kids are all naturally creative with giant imaginations and unique ways of seeing the world.
In either case, sometimes this can result in kids saying things that are odd, strange, or even downright creepy. From imaginary friends that might be ghosts or an unsettling obsession with other people's blood, we gathered 16 of the spookiest things parents have heard their kids say. Read this one with the lights on!
The Sun
“My child said ‘One day we’re gonna be standing right here and the sun will pop and it will scare you.’ Which is weird, but the creepy thing is that he said it twice, once when he was 2 and again when he was 4, both while standing in the exact same place, five blocks from our house.” — Maria R., St. Paul, Minnesota
The Mysteries
“My best friend’s daughter (4) is super intuitive and sensitive and often talks about 'the mysteries' she sees. The mysteries are typically human or animal spirits she encounters, often at her own house and sometimes in other spaces as well. Last year they were creating books in preschool regarding feelings – what makes them happy, sad, mad, scared — and she wrote about how she feels scared of ‘the invisible people who want to play with me.’” — Anna D., St. Paul, Minnesota
Witches
“My youngest has talked about witches since she could talk. At around 2-3 years old she would be up in her crib talking to something in her room. Often, after about 20 minutes she would yell, 'Go away now witches!' until we would go in and tuck her back in for bed.” – Anna D. Portland, Oregon
The Girl Outside
“When my oldest was 4 he told me there was a girl outside the window that wanted to play. When my youngest was 3 and sleeping in the same room he talked about the girl outside the window. Their room is on the second floor. My advice to them was: never go out to play, never to invite anyone in.” – Carolyn L., Elkhart, Indiana
Orbs and More
"My oldest isn’t spooky per se, but she has described her birth to me in great detail and always has orbs flying around any room she stays in (any house and any baby monitor). She also has said weird stuff like ‘We can’t see Brenda anymore because she went home but not her house home’ after Brenda died." — Megan K., Concord, New Hampshire
Time in Heaven
"My oldest son has described in some detail, on multiple occasions, what it was like in heaven. We never really talked about things like heaven, so it was interesting to hear his thoughts, though it was a bit spooky when he pointed at a picture of a man in the newspaper and said 'He isn't going to heaven' and it was a man who'd be accused of murder. He was like 4, so he couldn't have read the headline, but somehow knew he was a bad dude." — Fiona E., Paterson, New Jersey
The Other Mother
"We had to stop for a school bus when my oldest was 4, and he said to me, 'My mother used to put me on the school bus.' I asked if he was talking about me, and he said, 'No, my mother.' He brought her up again another time, but I can’t remember what he said. I should have written it down." — Amanda K., Omaha, Nebraska
My Sister
"When I was pregnant with my son, there was a period of time when we thought it might be twins but then it was just him. So it was always a little creepy when he'd talk about his sister who disappeared. He doesn't have a sister but he insists he did at one point. Maybe he did?" — Gloria H., Fairmont, West Virginia
Dark Spirit
"When having a discussion about different beliefs people have about what happens after death, including about reincarnation, the 4 year old asked: so that means in my next life I won't have my dark spirit? That is a little unsettling!" — Brianna K., Hamilton, Ontario
The Picture
"My oldest was talking to me once about something in her room. She was like, 'Yeah, you know, that girl in my room? She’s dead. She’s kind of in the corner?' Several terrifying minutes later I figured out she was talking about the picture of my grandmother (who she’s named after) that is hanging in the corner of her room." — Suzanne M., St. Paul, Minnesota
The Others
"My daughter used to talk about 'the others' which were a group of kids she said sometimes talked to her at night and that lived in the woods behind our house. It was kind of interesting and kind of creepy, especially when she warned me that I wasn't allowed to talk to the others because the others didn't like me." — Lara N., Bangor, Maine
When You Die
"I have one from my daughter! When she was 5. We were getting out of the car she said 'Mommy, I really hope I'm there when you die. I’d like to see what you look like. I'm just really interested in that sort of thing.' Of course her favorite holiday is Dia de los Muertos.” — Yolanda G, Carlsbad, California
Where's Sophie?
"Just remembered a time my son asked ‘where’s Sophie?’ out of nowhere, when he was about 2 and had just started day care. I asked ‘Who’s Sophie?’ Thinking it was a child in his class. He just looked kind of puzzled. Then he looked back and forth at our dog Skittles and our dog Scout and looked even more puzzled, and then said ‘I don’t know!’ We had a dog named Sophie who died when I was 20 weeks pregnant with him, but we hadn’t told him about her yet." — Molly G., Tucson, Arizona
Bloody Fun
"My daughter is weirdly obsessed with blood, which leads to her saying all sorts of creepy things. She talks about how she likes the taste of blood, how blood would be cool to play with, and how she could tell if someone is lying if she could taste their blood. That last one creeps me out a bit, to be honest." — Irene E., Lansing, Michigan
My Friend
"When we moved into a new house, my son started talking about his imaginary friend named Davey. He was always specific about Davey living in our basement and that Davey was sad. I didn't think it was creepy until I found out from a neighbor that there was a teenage boy named David who had died by suicide in our basement before we lived there." — Name withheld by request
Lover Boy
"When my son was deep in his Oedipal phase (as my husband called it), he was so possessive and clingy. One day he grabbed my face in his hands and said 'You are mommy now but we used to be married when I was a man and we'll be married again when I'm a different man. Dada won't be here. Ever.' Yikes!" — Olivia T., San Diego, California
