Top Stories

Parents Reveal Spooky Things Their Kids Have Done That Have Actually Made Them Believe In The Paranormal

Children are wonderful... until they're scaring the living daylights out of you, that is.

Today's burning question came from Redditor blurryrhombus, who asked the online community "Parents of Reddit, what is something your kids started doing/seeing that made you believe they were communicating/seeing ghosts?"

Leave it to these parents to serve us ice-cold dishes of Can we f*cking not?


"My son..."

My son will be quiet for ages in his room and I'll think he's asleep, then he'll start hysterically laughing. He's 2.

GledaTheGoat

"Before our oldest was talking..."

Before our oldest was talking, we found that often when we lay him down in his room (either to sleep or change his nappy), he'd look over our shoulder and start smiling or chuckling, like he was reacting to someone. My wife and I independently decided that it was my dad come to look in on his first grandchild. (All the other grandparents are still alive, dad took his own life when I was 12.)

This went on for a couple of months or so but we never addressed it out loud at the time. Then we'd put our boy down to sleep and for a little while we'd hear him chuckling and gurgling for a while before he slept. Kids do that but it really sounded like he was reacting to someone playing with him.


One night he was still going an hour after we put him down and my wife said "he's your dad, go talk to him."

So, feeling slightly silly at first, I went in and said to the room, "dad, please let him sleep!" I told my son "say goodnight to grandpa and get some sleep."

As I walked out, I said "I miss you dad. I love you." I've never been too sure about whether I really believe in spirits but I certainly felt suddenly warm and comforted.

That was the last night we heard the bedtime playing. From then on, when we put our boy down, he went to sleep without a quiver and still does several years on.


About 18 months later our second child (now at roughly the same age her brother was when dad visited) starts howling not long after she's gone to bed. I go in and comfort her but got a distinct feeling of confusion for a minute before it went and then she settled down.

A couple of nights later the same thing happens. I go in to settle her again but this time I said "dad, she can't handle this like <brother> did. If you were here, she'd love you and be in your lap all the time but not like this. She can't deal with it, please leave her alone."

That was the last visit we ever had that we're aware of, even with their three younger siblings.

StuffLooken

"We took my 3 year old daughter..."

We took my 3 year old daughter to meet my wife's grandmother who lived on the other side of the county...we walk in the house and my daughter doesn't even look at her great grandmother, but instead goes straight over to a picture of her great great grandmother, points at it and says, "That's the lady who lives in my room. She's nice."

Keith_Creeper

"I had a dog..."

I had a dog from the time I was about 6 or 7 until I was about 19 or 20. My oldest son was born a few years after he died. Flash forward to when my son was around 2.5, he started telling me about "the black dog that lives in the basement" (where the dog, who was a black lab died.) He said something along the lines of "I woke up when you were still working and the black dog was in our room."

I asked if he meant our current dog, who was black and tan, but he was insistent it wasn't "Goonior" but "the other dog." And I also didn't allow the dog in our room, ever, and he never tried to come in.

Also, same kid, same time frame...

My best friend committed suicide days before my son's first birthday. He had no recollection of Pat besides knowing he had an Uncle named Pat. Well, I come home from work one morning and he is wide the f**k awake at 6am (I worked overnights and he usually slept until around 9am) talking in his crib. I assumed he was talking to himself. I asked him who he was talking to and he said "my pirate friend" and said "he has a patch" and I kinda brushed it off. Then I realized "wait... Pat was blind in one eye... Pat always cosplays pirates... Pat loved him..."

Pat continued to visit my son for years after that.

Muhryzzie

"When my youngest son started speaking..."

Giphy

When my youngest son started speaking, the wife had a friend with a newborn. My son was constantly telling us what the friends baby was saying and wanted and he spoke to the baby more than anyone. The theory is that he was still in the cusp of being able to communicate with babies and adults but, it tripped us out for like 2 months until the baby started talking Babel. After that, the kid didn't understand what the baby was saying and would just tell us, "he's upset."

LowBidder505

"She had no idea..."

My 4 year old daughter started not being able to sleep. She was complaining that "Simon" was coming to her room and yelling at her. It got to the point she wouldn't let us leave the room until we told him to go away and leave her alone.

My Catholic mom in law was getting worried and gave me a bag of blessed medals while I was at Walmart and saw her. I rolled my eyes and threw them in a drawer when I got home instead of burying them and saying prayers like she wanted.

My daughter stopped seeing Simon the same night. She had no idea about the medals (wasn't with me at Walmart and I put them in the drawer before she got home) so it creeped me out.

sendmeabook

"The next morning..."

My kid has sliding mirrored doors on her closet. She goes to bed early but I check on her now and then. One night I was on my way to bed and I hear weird chanting coming from her room. I open the door to check on her and she's standing on the bed staring in the mirror. She looks at me and says "mirror me is the real me." I close the door and nope right out of there.

The next morning I ask her about what she was doing. She said "I was talking to Horrifying Me. She lives in the mirror and has no bones."

My husband's family is haunted so I guess it was just a matter of time but f**k that. Kids are so creepy.

comicshopgirl

"As an infant..."

My daughter had two moments. As an infant, whenever we laid her on the changing table, she would always squirm into whatever position would allow her to stare into one corner on the ceiling of the room. It was a plain white room and plain white ceiling, so nothing worth looking at. She would always stare and smile or laugh. As she got a little older she would point at it and say Hi. We never really worried because it always seemed to be a positive experience for her. Not a ghost, but just as eerie.

When she was 3, we were getting her ready to meet my Aunt Mary for the first time. We are not a church-going family, but she proudly told us that she already knows someone named Mary. We ask about her friend Mary and she smiles and tells us "She's God's mom," and tells how she hasn't talked to her in a long time. Of course she doesn't remember any if these conversations anymore, but they are burned in my memory.

CognitiveTraveler

"We took it home..."

My father bought a Native American medicine bag while he was in the western US. He brought it back and gave it to my son, who was 2 or 3 at the time.

We took it home and hung it on the door knob of my son's closet. Soon afterwards, my son started complaining of not being able to sleep because the bell on the bag would start ringing. Then "the spoonbills" would start coming out of the closet. He didn't seem particularly bothered by the spoonbills, but just irritated that they made the bell ring.

edgarpickle

"My daughter was..."

My daughter was refusing to fall asleep so after a while I asked her why she wouldn't and she said "Because those people are watching us." or something similar and pointed to a corner of the room where there wasn't anything even vaguely human shaped.

We slept downstairs that night.

Custard-donut

"I went in..."

I went in to my 3 year old son's room to find his vent covered with a blanket. I went to take it off and he started screaming and yelling that the "glowy" would escape... the next morning I found him sleeping on my bedroom floor because I let the glowy out.

bahamallama214

"Last night..."

Last night me and my partner both heard a sound like 'yoo-hoo!' As in someone talking to a baby.

Our 17mo daughter started giggling like I've never heard and babbling away like she always does when she's 'talking'.

This isn't the first instance of something.... odd... happening in our house, but it sent goosebumps all over me.

buddingredditor

"He laughs at this toy..."

Giphy

My youngest son named his favorite toy (stuffed dinosaur plushie) after my dead sister. I've never spoken her name out loud before to him or around him. I've never brought him to her grave. He'd never know this name otherwise, it's a European name my parents gave my sister because it "sounded pretty". One day he took a small plastic gun from one of his army guys and put it in the hand of another toy, and chased the dinosaur around manically saying "boom BOOM BOOM you're so dead and your baby is too!" My sister was 6mo pregnant when her boyfriend killed her, her unborn died as well. He laughs at this toy A LOT. Like... too much for it just being a game. He talks to it all the time as if it's responding to him in real time.

"My parents' first child..."

My 3 year old daughter asked "How did your sister die?"

My parents' first child died at 2 weeks due to complications. She was born the day before my mom's birthday and neither parent EVER talked about her because it was just too painful.

There is no way my daughter could have ever overheard that not only I had a sister, but that she died as well.

A month later daughter tells me "Mommy is going to give me a baby brother in the Spring. Wife and I found out we were pregnant 2 weeks later... we had a son in March.

olafthebent

"I read one part..."

Last night I was reading my son a book before bed. (15 months old) I read one part and tickled him and he said "hi" and waved towards his crib. At that moment the mobile started playing music.

stockxcarx29

People Reveal The Weirdest Thing About Themselves

Reddit user Isitjustmedownhere asked: 'Give an example; how weird are you really?'

Let's get one thing straight: no one is normal. We're all weird in our own ways, and that is actually normal.

Of course, that doesn't mean we don't all have that one strange trait or quirk that outweighs all the other weirdness we possess.

For me, it's the fact that I'm almost 30 years old, and I still have an imaginary friend. Her name is Sarah, she has red hair and green eyes, and I strongly believe that, since I lived in India when I created her and there were no actual people with red hair around, she was based on Daphne Blake from Scooby-Doo.

I also didn't know the name Sarah when I created her, so that came later. I know she's not really there, hence the term 'imaginary friend,' but she's kind of always been around. We all have conversations in our heads; mine are with Sarah. She keeps me on task and efficient.

My mom thinks I'm crazy that I still have an imaginary friend, and writing about her like this makes me think I may actually be crazy, but I don't mind. As I said, we're all weird, and we all have that one trait that outweighs all the other weirdness.

Redditors know this all too well and are eager to share their weird traits.

It all started when Redditor Isitjustmedownhere asked:

"Give an example; how weird are you really?"

Monsters Under My Bed

"My bed doesn't touch any wall."

"Edit: I guess i should clarify im not rich."

– Practical_Eye_3600

"Gosh the monsters can get you from any angle then."

– bikergirlr7

"At first I thought this was a flex on how big your bedroom is, but then I realized you're just a psycho 😁"

– zenOFiniquity8

Can You See Why?

"I bought one of those super-powerful fans to dry a basement carpet. Afterwards, I realized that it can point straight up and that it would be amazing to use on myself post-shower. Now I squeegee my body with my hands, step out of the shower and get blasted by a wide jet of room-temp air. I barely use my towel at all. Wife thinks I'm weird."

– KingBooRadley

Remember

"In 1990 when I was 8 years old and bored on a field trip, I saw a black Oldsmobile Cutlass driving down the street on a hot day to where you could see that mirage like distortion from the heat on the road. I took a “snapshot” by blinking my eyes and told myself “I wonder how long I can remember this image” ….well."

– AquamarineCheetah

"Even before smartphones, I always take "snapshots" by blinking my eyes hoping I'll remember every detail so I can draw it when I get home. Unfortunately, I may have taken so much snapshots that I can no longer remember every detail I want to draw."

"Makes me think my "memory is full.""

– Reasonable-Pirate902

Same, Same

"I have eaten the same lunch every day for the past 4 years and I'm not bored yet."

– OhhGoood

"How f**king big was this lunch when you started?"

– notmyrealnam3

Not Sure Who Was Weirder

"Had a line cook that worked for us for 6 months never said much. My sous chef once told him with no context, "Baw wit da baw daw bang daw bang diggy diggy." The guy smiled, left, and never came back."

– Frostygrunt

Imagination

"I pace around my house for hours listening to music imagining that I have done all the things I simply lack the brain capacity to do, or in some really bizarre scenarios, I can really get immersed in these imaginations sometimes I don't know if this is some form of schizophrenia or what."

– RandomSharinganUser

"I do the same exact thing, sometimes for hours. When I was young it would be a ridiculous amount of time and many years later it’s sort of trickled off into almost nothing (almost). It’s weird but I just thought it’s how my brain processes sh*t."

– Kolkeia

If Only

"Even as an adult I still think that if you are in a car that goes over a cliff; and right as you are about to hit the ground if you jump up you can avoid the damage and will land safely. I know I'm wrong. You shut up. I'm not crying."

– ShotCompetition2593

Pet Food

"As a kid I would snack on my dog's Milkbones."

– drummerskillit

"Haha, I have a clear memory of myself doing this as well. I was around 3 y/o. Needless to say no one was supervising me."

– Isitjustmedownhere

"When I was younger, one of my responsibilities was to feed the pet fish every day. Instead, I would hide under the futon in the spare bedroom and eat the fish food."

– -GateKeep-

My Favorite Subject

"I'm autistic and have always had a thing for insects. My neurotypical best friend and I used to hang out at this local bar to talk to girls, back in the late 90s. One time he claimed that my tendency to circle conversations back to insects was hurting my game. The next time we went to that bar (with a few other friends), he turned and said sternly "No talking about bugs. Or space, or statistics or other bullsh*t but mainly no bugs." I felt like he was losing his mind over nothing."

"It was summer, the bar had its windows open. Our group hit it off with a group of young ladies, We were all chatting and having a good time. I was talking to one of these girls, my buddy was behind her facing away from me talking to a few other people."

"A cloudless sulphur flies in and lands on little thing that holds coasters."

"Cue Jordan Peele sweating gif."

"The girl notices my tension, and asks if I am looking at the leaf. "Actually, that's a lepidoptera called..." I looked at the back of my friend's head, he wasn't looking, "I mean a butterfly..." I poked it and it spread its wings the girl says "oh that's a BUG?!" and I still remember my friend turning around slowly to look at me with chastisement. The ONE thing he told me not to do."

"I was 21, and was completely not aware that I already had a rep for being an oddball. It got worse from there."

– Phormicidae

*Teeth Chatter*

"I bite ice cream sometimes."

RedditbOiiiiiiiiii

"That's how I am with popsicles. My wife shudders every single time."

monobarreller

Never Speak Of This

"I put ice in my milk."

– GTFOakaFOD

"You should keep that kind of thing to yourself. Even when asked."

– We-R-Doomed

"There's some disturbing sh*t in this thread, but this one takes the cake."

– RatonaMuffin

More Than Super Hearing

"I can hear the television while it's on mute."

– Tira13e

"What does it say to you, child?"

– Mama_Skip

Yikes!

"I put mustard on my omelettes."

– Deleted User

"Oh."

– NotCrustOr-filling

Evened Up

"Whenever I say a word and feel like I used a half of my mouth more than the other half, I have to even it out by saying the word again using the other half of my mouth more. If I don't do it correctly, that can go on forever until I feel it's ok."

"I do it silently so I don't creep people out."

– LesPaltaX

"That sounds like a symptom of OCD (I have it myself). Some people with OCD feel like certain actions have to be balanced (like counting or making sure physical movements are even). You should find a therapist who specializes in OCD, because they can help you."

– MoonlightKayla

I totally have the same need for things to be balanced! Guess I'm weird and a little OCD!

Close up face of a woman in bed, staring into the camera
Photo by Jen Theodore

Experiencing death is a fascinating and frightening idea.

Who doesn't want to know what is waiting for us on the other side?

But so many of us want to know and then come back and live a little longer.

It would be so great to be sure there is something else.

But the whole dying part is not that great, so we'll have to rely on other people's accounts.

Redditor AlaskaStiletto wanted to hear from everyone who has returned to life, so they asked:

"Redditors who have 'died' and come back to life, what did you see?"

Sensations

Happy Good Vibes GIF by Major League SoccerGiphy

"My dad's heart stopped when he had a heart attack and he had to be brought back to life. He kept the paper copy of the heart monitor which shows he flatlined. He said he felt an overwhelming sensation of peace, like nothing he had felt before."

PeachesnPain

Recovery

"I had surgical complications in 2010 that caused a great deal of blood loss. As a result, I had extremely low blood pressure and could barely stay awake. I remember feeling like I was surrounded by loved ones who had passed. They were in a circle around me and I knew they were there to guide me onwards. I told them I was not ready to go because my kids needed me and I came back."

"My nurse later said she was afraid she’d find me dead every time she came into the room."

"It took months, and blood transfusions, but I recovered."

good_golly99

Take Me Back

"Overwhelming peace and happiness. A bright airy and floating feeling. I live a very stressful life. Imagine finding out the person you have had a crush on reveals they have the same feelings for you and then you win the lotto later that day - that was the feeling I had."

"I never feared death afterward and am relieved when I hear of people dying after suffering from an illness."

rayrayrayray

Free

The Light Minnie GIF by (G)I-DLEGiphy

"I had a heart surgery with near-death experience, for me at least (well the possibility that those effects are caused by morphine is also there) I just saw black and nothing else but it was warm and I had such inner peace, its weird as I sometimes still think about it and wish this feeling of being so light and free again."

TooReDTooHigh

This is why I hate surgery.

You just never know.

Shocked

Giphy

"More of a near-death experience. I was electrocuted. I felt like I was in a deep hole looking straight up in the sky. My life flashed before me. Felt sad for my family, but I had a deep sense of peace."

Admirable_Buyer6528

The SOB

"Nursing in the ICU, we’ve had people try to die on us many times during the years, some successfully. One guy stood out to me. His heart stopped. We called a code, are working on him, and suddenly he comes to. We hadn’t vented him yet, so he was able to talk, and he started screaming, 'Don’t let them take me, don’t let them take me, they are coming,' he was scared and yelling."

"Then he yelled a little more, as we tried to calm him down, he screamed, 'No, No,' and gestured towards the end of the bed, and died again. We didn’t get him back. It was seriously creepy. We called his son to tell him the news, and the son said basically, 'Good, he was an SOB.'”

1-cupcake-at-a-time

Colors

"My sister died and said it was extremely peaceful. She said it was very loud like a train station and lots of talking and she was stuck in this area that was like a curtain with lots of beautiful colors (colors that you don’t see in real life according to her) a man told her 'He was sorry, but she had to go back as it wasn’t her time.'"

Hannah_LL7

"I had a really similar experience except I was in an endless garden with flowers that were colors I had never seen before. It was quiet and peaceful and a woman in a dress looked at me, shook her head, and just said 'Not yet.' As I was coming back, it was extremely loud, like everyone in the world was trying to talk all at once. It was all very disorienting but it changed my perspective on life!"

huntokarrr

The Fog

"I was in a gray fog with a girl who looked a lot like a young version of my grandmother (who was still alive) but dressed like a pioneer in the 1800s she didn't say anything but kept pulling me towards an opening in the wall. I kept refusing to go because I was so tired."

"I finally got tired of her nagging and went and that's when I came to. I had bled out during a c-section and my heart could not beat without blood. They had to deliver the baby and sew up the bleeders. refill me with blood before they could restart my heart so, like, at least 12 minutes gone."

Fluffy-Hotel-5184

Through the Walls

"My spouse was dead for a couple of minutes one miserable night. She maintains that she saw nothing, but only heard people talking about her like through a wall. The only thing she remembers for absolute certain was begging an ER nurse that she didn't want to die."

"She's quite alive and well today."

Hot-Refrigerator6583

Well let's all be happy to be alive.

It seems to be all we have.

Man's waist line
Santhosh Vaithiyanathan/Unsplash

Trying to lose weight is a struggle understood by many people regardless of size.

The goal of reaching a healthy weight may seem unattainable, but with diet and exercise, it can pay off through persistence and discipline.

Seeing the pounds gradually drop off can also be a great motivator and incentivize people to stay the course.

Those who've achieved their respective weight goals shared their experiences when Redditor apprenti8455 asked:

"People who lost a lot of weight, what surprises you the most now?"

Redditors didn't see these coming.

Shiver Me Timbers

"I’m always cold now!"

– Telrom_1

"I had a coworker lose over 130 pounds five or six years ago. I’ve never seen him without a jacket on since."

– r7ndom

"140 lbs lost here starting just before COVID, I feel like that little old lady that's always cold, damn this top comment was on point lmao."

– mr_remy

Drawing Concern

"I lost 100 pounds over a year and a half but since I’m old(70’s) it seems few people comment on it because (I think) they think I’m wasting away from some terminal illness."

– dee-fondy

"Congrats on the weight loss! It’s honestly a real accomplishment 🙂"

"Working in oncology, I can never comment on someone’s weight loss unless I specifically know it was on purpose, regardless of their age. I think it kind of ruffles feathers at times, but like I don’t want to congratulate someone for having cancer or something. It’s a weird place to be in."

– LizardofDeath

Unleashing Insults

"I remember when I lost the first big chunk of weight (around 50 lbs) it was like it gave some people license to talk sh*t about the 'old' me. Old coworkers, friends, made a lot of not just negative, but harsh comments about what I used to look like. One person I met after the big loss saw a picture of me prior and said, 'Wow, we wouldn’t even be friends!'”

"It wasn’t extremely common, but I was a little alarmed by some of the attention. My weight has been up and down since then, but every time I gain a little it gets me a little down thinking about those things people said."

– alanamablamaspama

Not Everything Goes After Losing Weight

"The loose skin is a bit unexpected."

– KeltarCentauri

"I haven’t experienced it myself, but surgery to remove skin takes a long time to recover. Longer than bariatric surgery and usually isn’t covered by insurance unless you have both."

– KatMagic1977

"It definitely does take a long time to recover. My Dad dropped a little over 200 pounds a few years back and decided to go through with skin removal surgery to deal with the excess. His procedure was extensive, as in he had skin taken from just about every part of his body excluding his head, and he went through hell for weeks in recovery, and he was bedridden for a lot of it."

– Jaew96

These Redditors shared their pleasantly surprising experiences.

Shopping

"I can buy clothes in any store I want."

– WaySavvyD

"When I lost weight I was dying to go find cute, smaller clothes and I really struggled. As someone who had always been restricted to one or two stores that catered to plus-sized clothing, a full mall of shops with items in my size was daunting. Too many options and not enough knowledge of brands that were good vs cheap. I usually went home pretty frustrated."

– ganache98012

No More Symptoms

"Lost about 80 pounds in the past year and a half, biggest thing that I’ve noticed that I haven’t seen mentioned on here yet is my acid reflux and heartburn are basically gone. I used to be popping tums every couple hours and now they just sit in the medicine cabinet collecting dust."

– colleennicole93

Expanding Capabilities

"I'm all for not judging people by their appearance and I recognise that there are unhealthy, unachievable beauty standards, but one thing that is undeniable is that I can just do stuff now. Just stamina and flexibility alone are worth it, appearance is tertiary at best."

– Ramblonius

People Change Their Tune

"How much nicer people are to you."

"My feet weren't 'wide' they were 'fat.'"

– LiZZygsu

"Have to agree. Lost 220 lbs, people make eye contact and hold open doors and stuff"

"And on the foot thing, I also lost a full shoe size numerically and also wear regular width now 😅"

– awholedamngarden

It's gonna take some getting used to.

Bones Everywhere

"Having bones. Collarbones, wrist bones, knee bones, hip bones, ribs. I have so many bones sticking out everywhere and it’s weird as hell."

– Princess-Pancake-97

"I noticed the shadow of my ribs the other day and it threw me, there’s a whole skeleton in here."

– bekastrange

Knee Pillow

"Right?! And they’re so … pointy! Now I get why people sleep with pillows between their legs - the knee bones laying on top of each other (side sleeper here) is weird and jarring."

– snic2030

"I lost only 40 pounds within the last year or so. I’m struggling to relate to most of these comments as I feel like I just 'slimmed down' rather than dropped a ton. But wow, the pillow between the knees at night. YES! I can relate to this. I think a lot of my weight was in my thighs. I never needed to do this up until recently."

– Strongbad23

More Mobility

"I’ve lost 100 lbs since 2020. It’s a collection of little things that surprise me. For at least 10 years I couldn’t put on socks, or tie my shoes. I couldn’t bend over and pick something up. I couldn’t climb a ladder to fix something. Simple things like that I can do now that fascinate me."

"Edit: Some additional little things are sitting in a chair with arms, sitting in a booth in a restaurant, being able to shop in a normal store AND not needing to buy the biggest size there, being able to easily wipe my butt, and looking down and being able to see my penis."

– dma1965

People making significant changes, whether for mental or physical health, can surely find a newfound perspective on life.

But they can also discover different issues they never saw coming.

That being said, overcoming any challenge in life is laudable, especially if it leads to gaining confidence and ditching insecurities.