I wasn't sure where to post this and I'm not usually a "jump in and post" kind of person. I am on various different kinds of boards and usually lurk happily.
But it is a rather odd chain of events that led me here and for some reason I felt I needed to tell my child's story and ask if anyone had any thoughts.
My daughter is now 15 and this all took place when she was little....maybe 3 or 4. I do remember she was young, but the words she used were the words of an older person so when I remember the occasion, I think she must have been older. I'm happy to see the admonitions in these threads that kids sometimes use words beyond their capabilities when "remembering."
So...anyway....One night I was taking a bath. She wandered in to talk to me as the girls sometimes do. This time, however, she started out with "you know, I used to be older than you" I asked her what she meant and she related this...
I was the leader of all my people...like a princess. (I thought okay, another one of her stories...she has a lot of imagination). But she reiterated that she was the leader and she was a grown woman. And you were there and daddy was there and Ellen (her sister) were there. But you and daddy were my children and Ellen was my friend, not my sister. My people were fighting another people and I was sad because so many of my people had died in the fighting.
She said that the other people were fighting to try to get her specifically and that if they captured her then the fighting would be over. She said she thought and thought and talked to the (military) leaders of her people. Then she decided she must give herself up to save her people. She said: so I went out into the fighting and I went ( raising her arms above her head and smiling in a quite blissful way) and I died. But my people were safe then so I was happy.
Then she turned and ran happily off to her room to play. I, of course, leaped out of the bathtub to follow her. I asked her many questions about her life then and what the fighting may have been about. All of her answers were so dry and matter of fact it was as if she was disgusted that I had to ask. She said at one point "you remember, you were there....oh, but I guess you were too young to remember much, huh" Like an idiot, I didn't write any of this down as I assumed I would remember it all. Now I'm 40 and can't remember this morning too well..ha ha. Anyway, I do remember the answers she gave made me think (and these are my assumptions, nothing specific she said after the above words) that she was an American Indian of some tribe. She couldn't tell me what "her people" were, she just repeated "my people" when I asked who they were.
She couldn't tell me specifically what the fighting was about only that the others wanted her and her death or capture was the only way to stop the fighting. I told her she must have been very brave to have voluntarily died like that and she again matter of factly said well she couldn't allow the suffering to continue.
She never mentioned any of this again. I wonder about this story as I see that one of the criteria is that the child continues to talk about the events. She acted more like that she had told me about this event so there was no reason to bring it up again. I CAN say this tale is in no way like her other imaginary tales of that time. They always started with a little girl and eventually included a pony and often space ships and whatever character of whatever book we were currently reading. This story was almost dry and unimaginative compared to her usual work. LOL. There again, god help me if I asked about the pony or space ships or whatever in her imaginary stories. I would get a full description and lengthy backstory on those. This story was very much like she would tell me about some child's backpack she had seen at daycare.
I've not ever talked much about her story to anyone. People tend to be staunch disbelievers in this sort of thing.....or, almost worse, like my family. They believe in reincarnation, believe in things most others do not, and were quite blase about this story. Yep, she remembered a past life, pass the salt. Maybe I need validation? Sad but true. Mostly I would like to know if the actual events of her story ring a bell with anyone so I could research the events. My validation is more internal, I guess, as I "know" this story was different.
Well, thanks to any that have bothered to read my story. As I said before, a very odd turn of events led me here today and I jumped in with both feet. I am sorry if I did not post according to rules or broke any rules in putting this up here.
But it is a rather odd chain of events that led me here and for some reason I felt I needed to tell my child's story and ask if anyone had any thoughts.
My daughter is now 15 and this all took place when she was little....maybe 3 or 4. I do remember she was young, but the words she used were the words of an older person so when I remember the occasion, I think she must have been older. I'm happy to see the admonitions in these threads that kids sometimes use words beyond their capabilities when "remembering."
So...anyway....One night I was taking a bath. She wandered in to talk to me as the girls sometimes do. This time, however, she started out with "you know, I used to be older than you" I asked her what she meant and she related this...
I was the leader of all my people...like a princess. (I thought okay, another one of her stories...she has a lot of imagination). But she reiterated that she was the leader and she was a grown woman. And you were there and daddy was there and Ellen (her sister) were there. But you and daddy were my children and Ellen was my friend, not my sister. My people were fighting another people and I was sad because so many of my people had died in the fighting.
She said that the other people were fighting to try to get her specifically and that if they captured her then the fighting would be over. She said she thought and thought and talked to the (military) leaders of her people. Then she decided she must give herself up to save her people. She said: so I went out into the fighting and I went ( raising her arms above her head and smiling in a quite blissful way) and I died. But my people were safe then so I was happy.
Then she turned and ran happily off to her room to play. I, of course, leaped out of the bathtub to follow her. I asked her many questions about her life then and what the fighting may have been about. All of her answers were so dry and matter of fact it was as if she was disgusted that I had to ask. She said at one point "you remember, you were there....oh, but I guess you were too young to remember much, huh" Like an idiot, I didn't write any of this down as I assumed I would remember it all. Now I'm 40 and can't remember this morning too well..ha ha. Anyway, I do remember the answers she gave made me think (and these are my assumptions, nothing specific she said after the above words) that she was an American Indian of some tribe. She couldn't tell me what "her people" were, she just repeated "my people" when I asked who they were.
She couldn't tell me specifically what the fighting was about only that the others wanted her and her death or capture was the only way to stop the fighting. I told her she must have been very brave to have voluntarily died like that and she again matter of factly said well she couldn't allow the suffering to continue.
She never mentioned any of this again. I wonder about this story as I see that one of the criteria is that the child continues to talk about the events. She acted more like that she had told me about this event so there was no reason to bring it up again. I CAN say this tale is in no way like her other imaginary tales of that time. They always started with a little girl and eventually included a pony and often space ships and whatever character of whatever book we were currently reading. This story was almost dry and unimaginative compared to her usual work. LOL. There again, god help me if I asked about the pony or space ships or whatever in her imaginary stories. I would get a full description and lengthy backstory on those. This story was very much like she would tell me about some child's backpack she had seen at daycare.
I've not ever talked much about her story to anyone. People tend to be staunch disbelievers in this sort of thing.....or, almost worse, like my family. They believe in reincarnation, believe in things most others do not, and were quite blase about this story. Yep, she remembered a past life, pass the salt. Maybe I need validation? Sad but true. Mostly I would like to know if the actual events of her story ring a bell with anyone so I could research the events. My validation is more internal, I guess, as I "know" this story was different.
Well, thanks to any that have bothered to read my story. As I said before, a very odd turn of events led me here today and I jumped in with both feet. I am sorry if I did not post according to rules or broke any rules in putting this up here.
I may do a bit of Googling myself later as I find your daughters case very interesting, I'll let you know if I find anything.
), and I can understand that you may feel that you need validation - or at least to discuss this with others that are likeminded but not as "unimpressed" as your family! I can completely relate to that - I usually get the "so what? or "....and?" reply from my own mother way too often 