Is Ghost Hunting becoming kid’s play?
Would you allow your child to go ghost hunting at an early age?
We see it more and more every day, young kids are jumping into the paranormal fever that has grabbed a large percentage of the world in the last 5 or so years.
Parents do not seem to be at all concerned with their kids going “ghost hunting”. Why not?
Could it be the lack of knowledge on the subject of the paranormal? or could it be that they just consider it harmless fun, since the majority of adults do not believe in ghosts?
There was a story last week from the Prattville Progess, an Alabama news site, about a mother that had granted her daughter’s birthday wish of going “ghost hunting” for her birthday. The 11 year old is apparently swept up in the “ghost hunting craze” and wanted to do some EVP work like the members of TAPS, from her favorite show, Sci-fi’s Ghost Hunters.
“I wanted to go ghost hunting for my birthday,” said Barber, who enjoys watching the television show “Ghost Hunters” on the Sci-Fi channel.
Quick knew her young daughter had a fascination with the paranormal.
“(Emily) has been interested in ghost hunting,” Quick said. “There are some ghost shows we let her watch, but we don’t let her watch them all. She just had a real interest in ghost hunting.”
Her mother, Renee Quick was not a believer in ghosts. That is, until her daughter Emily manage to capture some EVP recordings. The story from the Prattsville website is alarming in many ways. I understand that there are parents out there that are not at all concerned in what their children occupy their time with, but dabbling in the paranormal is something not to be taken lightly.
I’ve been reading and research the paranormal for more than 20 years. It’s not that long of a time frame since I just turned 30. At 10 years of age, I only read the stories and collected them. Not fictional ghost stories, but real documented paranormal cases. The difference is that I was aware of the dangers that came with the territory. No, I never had anything happen to me. Maybe because I was too careful (chicken) to actually investigate claims. Or maybe it’s because at an early age I read about cases of poltergeist hauntings that involved human contact, or cases of spirits following people home.
Relaxing on the master bed where ‘Mr. Davis’ used to sleep, Emily Barber and Shelby Cox demonstrate how they recorded the ghostly voice when they spent the night of Mily’s birthday in hopes of receiving a visit from beyond source: Prattville Progess
Why have we gone from treating the paranormal as a taboo subject, to a comfortable subject at a dinner table? When did this change happen?
Renee quick cannot be called a bad parent for letting her child dabble in the paranormal, but can we say that she does not have her child’s best interest if Renee herself does not believe in the paranormal?
I would have to answer with a “Yes”. I don’t believe in demonic possession, but does that mean that I disregard any claims and/or warnings? No. Just because I don’t believe it does not mean it does not exist. I’m careful regardless. Just in case!
So now we see a new generation of children taking up ghost hunting as a thing to do for fun. Their parents know that ghosts don’t exist, so they are not worried and chalk it off as harmless kid fun.
Is it really harmless? Cases like “The Entity” remind us of the dangers of the paranormal. Poltergeist and apparitions have been know to mentally scar individuals. Can you say that you are prepared to deal with a haunting or spirit if it followed your child home? or worse, attacked your child?
I know that not all parents think that way, but there are some that disregard the paranormal. What are we to expect in the near future when more and more young kids break into abandoned homes and try to conjure up the dead? More hauntings? more poltergeist activities reported? or more physical confrontations between the living and the dead?
Written by Javier Ortega - javier@ghosttheory.com
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i don’t think that the parents who are letting the kids do this sort of thing are generally the non-believers. look at chip coffey’s “psychic kids” shows. look at the parents featured on all of the paranormal shows on TV today. it says a lot to me that parents are even willing to put their young children on national television due to this fad. (of course “psychics” and television networks are also more than eager to put the kids on TV as well for ratings and fame)
interesting to note, you don’t see these paranormal show cast members featuring their OWN family members on national television.
i like to think that the non-believers would tend to bring up their children with an open mind, but NOT a gullible one. i would hope that parents would stress things like doing well in school (particularly in math and science) as opposed to promoting the paranormal.
given that there really isn’t any credible, replicable hard scientific proof of anything paranormal to date, i would tend to err on the side of saying there really isn’t anything to be afraid of and it’s OK to let the kids dabble in ghost hunting. just like they could dabble in playing harry potter or D & D or whathaveyou.
but while allowing imaginative play, the parents should also be providing plenty of factual, scientific information about the world we live in.
it’s a fact that parents’ religious / paranormal beliefs will usually shape their childrens’ beliefs. it’s a fact that mysterious, scary things usually appeal to children.
too bad it’s also a fact that objective science and hard facts don’t sell books and garner ratings.
bellaboo,
Excellent point you bring.
I think that educating your kids on any subject in which they show interest is important. Regardless of what it is.
The paranormal is one thing that needs special attention as it can open the doors to many other serious things. Whether it’s real or not.
I think “Psychic kids” was a horrible show that might have given the wrong impression to a lot of people.
here’s something ironic for you, after posting this – i ran across your link to the “haunted hoax” / patrick doyle link.
i will probably end up forwarding his YT page to my own child (after a bit more research to review any inappropriate language in comments and the like)
i say any parents who want to let their children dabble in ghost hunting ought to make sure the children get a LARGE dose of this very sort of information first.
bellaboo,
The other “haunted hoax” was written by Joe, the other GhostTheory editor.
Yea, I think you hit the nail right on the head.
thanks for the comment