Was my DDs imaginary friend a ghost?

[MrsDylanThomas]

The time of year for such a thread but anyway...!

My DD is now 6 but when she was just 2.5/under age 3 she had an imaginary friend called William. Very young to have an imaginary friend IMO. For a period of about 3 weeks she spoke to William, 'read' books to him and if we were in the park she would stop and say 'C'mon William! Hurry up' whereas she was talking to thin air.

All very normal imaginary friend behaviour.

But one evening around this time, I asked her where was William? I was kind of joking. I remember we were sitting together on the couch before bedtime and she said 'William has gone to college where he lives'.

Turns out my husband's grandfather was called William (they called him Billy) and he worked in the accounts department of a university.

I asked her about him the other day as was thinking about it and she said she often talks to him at bedtime of if she's worried about anything. She's a happy, sociable and clever child so don't think it's anything to worry about.

But I just think William is a name she didn't hear in crèche, or in stories and I didn't think she knew the word 'college' at that age.

Her other imaginary friend was called Alice. I thought it was from Alice in wonderland but (chillingly) my husband's granny was called Alice!

Sorry to spoke you out mumsnetters. Am I filling in gaps or AIBU? Love to hear your thoughts!

neiljames I would LOVE to spend a night in a haunted house. Seriously I would be fascinated. Apparently there is a place called The Ram Inn which is a haunted pub, I have always wondered about staying there.

I have been to loads of haunted stately homes, but never seen anything.

people seem pretty desperate to believe that they dont exist more than that they do.

It is much much more comfortable to believe that everything we know now, is everything there is to know.

How do people seem pretty desperate to believe they don't exist?

I don't believe unicorns exist, but that doesn't make me desperate either.

DD (2) kept talking about 'Susie.' Her best friend. We don't know anyone called Susie so I was excited at the thought that there was something woo going on.

Did some digging and it was Susie sheep.

I've never had any woo experiences of my own but I do find them intriguing.

Obviously most 'woo' situations can be rationally explained but for those that can't, like Stampy's experience, maybe rational explanations will emerge in the future. I don't think it necessarily follows that because she saw something that is seemingly irrational she must have been mentally ill.

People probably thought things like magnetism were woo once upon a time. There must still be huge gaps in our knowledge about all kinds of things.

I would love it if ghosts did exist as that would be proof of life after death.

unicorns are supposed to be a type of animal. With matter. Big difference.

Anyone who completely refuses to believe even the concept of anything supernatural has just such a strange black and white way of thinking. Seems pretty arrogant

Some of my childhood neighbours bought a pub. They were losing money and the pub was always empty. So they manufactured some ghost stories, got in our local paper and trade picked up. They told me they had made up the whole story to get more punters.

I went to Uni with a pair of identical twins who once got on the Trisha TV show as they claimed they could communicate telepathically with each other. They did it for a laugh.

A couple of years ago I met up with an old friend from school and she talked about how she knew there was life after death as we used to get 'good info back' when we did our ouija boards.

How did she not know we all just moved it? It was the unspoken agreement I thought.

Sussex sheep would be an excellent best friend.

Ahem. SUSIE SHEEP.

Ah, yes Neil, you did say on our own. Let me think about it .

I would love to believe in ghosts, an afterlife, a loving God (not such a fan of the God of the Abrahamic religions but a truly merciful and loving God would be awfully nice, I've always thought). But I can't see any reason to believe in any of it. And yes, I know, I know, the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen, and so on and so forth. I'm afraid I can't make that leap without actual evidence. Hey ho.

The charlatans who claim to communicate with the dead are beneath contempt IMO. Preying on grieving people for personal gain (or whatever other motives the so-called mediums may have) is utterly base.

temporaryusername= scaredycat!!!

Only read the first page of this thread - but finding all these "no, ghosts don't exist" posts very funny!

Just because you've never been touched on the shoulder or had your door latches rattled, doesn't mean they don't exist!

I'm not staying here though... I completely don't want to get in to all this 'woo' this time of night!

I had an invisible friend when I was little called Algernon. I told my mom he wore big boots and a hat. I don't remember him at all but I used to talk to him and then wait for a reply then talk again apparently. My mom is convinced it was a ghost child. Me? Not a clue!

at Sussex Sheep.

I'm taking her to more toddler groups now.

"It is much much more comfortable to believe that everything we know now, is everything there is to know."

Nobody's stupid enough to believe that, are they? That's even dafter than believing in ghosts!

Anyone who completely refuses to believe even the concept of anything supernatural has just such a strange black and white way of thinking. Seems pretty arrogant

This. Completely agree.

And Haklyt, I think there are many (including a few on this thread) who do believe just that, which astonishes me.

Really? I have never met anyone who believed that what we know now is all there is to know.

Vermillion Porcupine - has your child been watching Dumbo at all?! The clowns in that have a saw... And probably balloons too, I was watching it with my son this morning.

"When I got back, the steak had disappeared into thin air and whatever had taken it must have really scared the dog because it was sat in the corner, absolutely petrified."

I wasn't there, obviously, but my guess is your dog nicked the steak and panicked when you came in. My dog is very clever, knows exactly when she's been naughty and immediately starts cringeing and licking her lips (rescue dog - I have never raised a hand to her and never would!) if someone finds her in the act or just afterwards.

Pan Doove - he has watched Dumbo a couple of times recently. I hadn't remembered the saw until then...maybe that's it? (Fingers crossed, it still creeps the hell out of me!)

Just googled images of the dumbo clowns and they're all dressed in orange too! I bet that's it. He hasn't specifically mentioned a clown but a 'man in orange with a saw and balloons' is probably close enough!

Did anyone here Start the Week on R4 this morning? I didn't hear all of it, but they were talking about why people (want to) believe in the paranormal.