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Original poster

This is dh's first request from mumsnet!

26 replies

roisin · 23/03/2006 21:14

Dh had a phonecall this evening - single mum of nearly 2-yr-old. "Max" apparently sees a man in glasses in the evenings who scares him when he is supposed to be going to sleep. Mum thinks it must be a ghost. GP and HV have helpfully told her that if it's a ghost then it's a vicar she needs, not a medical person .. hence the call to dh.

So, advice please ladies. Has anyone experienced anything similar? Hints and suggestions as to what might help this little person in the evenings.

OP posts:
tiredemma · 23/03/2006 21:23

ds1 used to say that he could see a "nanny" ( im assuming an old woman) in the corner of his room every night. This was around the same age the boy your Dh had the call about, i never made a big issue about it, would just say "oh say goodnight to the nanny then"

after a while he stopped mentioning her, i think if no big deal is made of it, then eventually he will stop aswell.

MrsSpoon · 23/03/2006 21:25

My DS1 used to see a face on the wall that terrified him, we had just moved to this house so were a bit spooked, after a few nights we discovered that it was just a shadow made by the tab top curtains that fell strangely on the wall. Could it be something like this?

Original poster
roisin · 23/03/2006 21:29

Thanks - this is very helpful. Anyone else?

OP posts:
monkeytrousers · 23/03/2006 21:35

I read a post about using glitter as 'magic dust' and shooing all the monsters away. I can't remember the whole rigmarole unfortunately so I'll bump for you.

Rhubarb · 23/03/2006 21:37

Vivid imagination I'd say. I'm betting that the little boy gets lots of attention by seeing this person. I'd advise his mum to play it down lots, set up a nice bedtime routine for him and plug in a night light.

Or, he could be responding to a disturbance in the family environment, perhaps something has happened or there is a lot of stress in the family?

Kids say spooky things all the time. In the words of my hero "when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the answer". Before jumping to ghosts, look at the other options and eliminate those.

morningpaper · 23/03/2006 21:38

Rhubarb we should call you Scully

morningpaper · 23/03/2006 21:39

Hang on that quote IS Scully isn't it

Dear me I've turned into Homer Simpson

Rhubarb · 23/03/2006 21:39

No it bloody well isn't! It's Sherlock Holmes! He made it whilst investing the Hound of the Baskervilles!

expatinscotland · 23/03/2006 21:40

a friend bought a lovely spray bottle, filled it w/distilled water and some yummy smelling essential oils and called it 'monster repellant'.

she can try that. if it doesn't work, well, some of us have had this experience. she's not alone.

morningpaper · 23/03/2006 21:41

oh DEAR me Blush Grin

spidermama · 23/03/2006 21:42

I know what supernanny would say it that's any use. She say enter the world of the child, ask him to show you the man with glasses or where he normally stands, take him by the hand and lead him our. You can add magic dust or say he can fly but be sure you and the kid watch him go away and send him on his way.

Original poster
roisin · 23/03/2006 21:42

Thanks - this sounds fab. DS2 is nearly 7 and tbh I can't really remember what 2yos are like, and how much explanation they can understand.

Monkeytrousers - glitter/magic dust sounds like a good idea to try if the playing it down approach doesn't work. So I'd appreciate it if you could link that thread for me.

Ta muchly very all!

OP posts:
monkeytrousers · 23/03/2006 21:42

or a dream catcher

monkeytrousers · 23/03/2006 21:49

\link{http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk?topicid=5&threadid=93257\I found it!}

Also they sound like night terrors which as far as I know are perfectly natural at this age and they are said to grow out of them - there's a bit in the NHS 0-5 book about them

unicorn · 23/03/2006 22:08

Roisin.. perhaps the problem here is mum?
If she is talking of ghosts and the like it can't really be helping the child.
Maybe she has her own 'issues' and perhaps dh is needed.. by her.. iyswim?

Original poster
roisin · 24/03/2006 16:42

Unicorn - yes, absolutely!

Many thanks everybody from dh - this was all extremely helpful.

He told me to thank "my coven" so maybe we haven't quite won him over to mn yet Grin

OP posts:
LemonDrizzleLady · 24/03/2006 17:02

love the fact that he calls us your coven lol

misdee · 24/03/2006 17:07

dd1 used to talk to a 'man' at our old old house. we just used to say 'oh thats nice'. dh is convinced the house was haunted as one room would never heat up (dd1 room), i think it was just dodgey heating Wink

PeachyClair · 24/03/2006 17:55

At what stage of going to sleep? As you drop off you get hypnogogic (sp) sleep where if I am right these things are very common.

Otherwise I would suggest a jolly good excuse for a child not to settle- ds1 does something very similar.

PeachyClair · 24/03/2006 17:57

And I'd back the spray idea- it was deodorant (ds needed to be able to smell it) with a label on it saying octopus spray that eventually repelled the 30ft octopus that used to terrorize ds in his bed.

nannyme · 25/03/2006 22:00

Well this supernanny doesn't go for the spray idea, sorry.

If you acknowledge the presence of such thing sby offering to shoo them away then you've just confirmed that there were scary ghosts/monsters/whatever after all, surely?

CorrieDale · 26/03/2006 17:13

I think that since children grow out of a belief in scary ghosts/monsters etc (I did!), a monster-repellent technique, if if takes the scariness away, isn't a bad thing.

muma3 · 26/03/2006 17:23

my whole row of houses where i lived as a child was haunted. apparently the estate was built on a monks burial site. i was the end house and i used to hear someone coming up and down the stairs. one of the neighbours went to the libary and sought out the plans of the site from years ago and where my house was was the staircase up to a tower.
all the other children in the row could see a white light go from one corner of there room to the other and right through the wall.
my neighbour 2 doors along was attack by something invisible and ended up being pushed down her stairs. she got a vicar out and the whole row was blessed. nothing happened after.

not sure how much i believe of the other tales but i know for sure what i heard. my stereo in my bedroom ussed to turn on without batteries or being plugged in too Smile
hth in some way?

petiterach · 26/03/2006 18:03

If it is a ghost though, and she does all these magic things to make it go away, and then it doesn't, then won't the child feel rather let down?

monkeytrousers · 27/03/2006 18:28

But there's no such thing as ghosts. If there was Shelock Holmes wouldn't have existed Wink

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