There are aspects to kids that are really creepy.

I suspect that because of their youth and innocence, they see things that we jaded adults don't. If anyone can see otherworldly things, it's the kids. Part of it is because they believe such things are real. They are more likely to encounter an actual tooth fairy because they believe that such an entity exists.

The notion of imaginary friends are creepy, too. Like, how do we really know that they're not real? Just because we can't see them doesn't mean they don't exist right?

Then there are posts on Reddit and Buzzfeed and other sites about creepy things that kids say. And some of them are creepy. Really scary. Some of them made me shudder.

There are things my foster son does and says that creep the heck out of me. Once in a while, he'll just stare right past me as if someone's standing behind me. I always turn around because maybe my wife's right behind me — but nothing.

Sometimes he'll just say hi. And it'll freak the bejeezus out of me.

A while back, we were changing into his pajamas when he just kept looking up, behind me. So, I turn around expecting my wife to be there, but no one. And because he wouldn't stop, I started getting a weird feeling that someone (or something) was watching us.

So I asked him, “Hey, what are you staring at?”

He says, “Ernie.”

Now, it wasn't too bad — we know an Ernie.

Then he says, “Paul.”

He doesn't know a Paul. I got and up said, “RayRay will put you to bed, okay?” (RayRay is what he calls my wife). 

This morning, we were getting ready for school. He comes into his room from the bathroom to get dressed. When he comes in, he closes the door. Not that out-of-norm behavior. He sits down to put on his socks. All of a sudden he stops and looks up at the door. Then me. Then the door again. Then me and for a split second, a panicked look crosses his face and he says to me, “Scared.”

My wife's out of the country attending her brother's wedding. And now I'm scared.

Then he just returns to putting on his clothes as if nothing happened. And I'm still wondering what the heck happened for him to say “scared.” Needless to say, when the bus came and picked him up, I hightailed it out of the house and have been kicking at coffee shops waiting for him to come home.

I think the parsonage is haunted.

I need my wife to come home.

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Joseph Yoo blogs at JosephYoo.com.