10 y.o. Fears Someone Is Watching

First and foremost, do no harm. Mother nature gave us a sixth sense about danger. 93% of people who have survived a violent crime said they got that strong sense just before the crime but chose to discount or ignore it. Police officers rely on it all the time. If your daughter is imagining it because of a movie she saw or a spook story someone told her at school or something, counseling should be able to get that out of her. But in the meantime, I would say that you shouldn't minimize it for fear of her learning not to EVER listen to her feelings because she might need it to save her life one day. I would also say not to make too a big deal of it either; just respond realistically by talking to her and getting her ideas about what you can do to beef up security around your place (take her with you to HomeDepot or WalMart and buy extra window locks, or have film put on her window that you can see out of but not into, and then take her outside and let her see for herself that someone can't see in, etc) What can that hurt because you would teaching her to listen to herself and to take care of herself? Just don't act all freaked out about it; treat it no differently than planning a trip to any store. I am sure you have tried to figure out where her fear first came from. I say honor her feelings and her thoughts, actually do something practical about it (like the locks, etc) and if that doesn't solve it, take her to a counselor and let her see if she can figure out where her fear first came from. Just don't give up on her sixth sense - or else she might also.

M.,

I would do several things:

1. Ask her about any movies she has seen lately, and consider what she watches on TV. I would think it's possible she has seen something that is staying with her, only she might not remember what she saw...still, I would question her.

2. Are you a believer in Christ? I would pray for her and with her. Ask God to cast out any demonic presence that may be troubling her. Encourage her to pray, asking God to cleanse her spirit and mind from anything that she unintentionally let in, that is now troubling her. Pray for God's protection over her. Pray for insight as to what is causing this.

3. If she continues to feel this way, I would consult with a counselor...starting with the one at school (since that will be free). Maybe she is just unusually self-aware, and that is making her feel watched. Kids this age can become extremely self-conscious.

Meanwhile, I would say that I feel like there are more spiritual reasons for things like this than we are often aware of, and I would just strongly encourage you to take charge of your household (and get your husband involved, if you are married) by praying over it and asking God to cleanse your home and bring to your awareness any object or person that may have come into her life that is bringing this "negative energy" around her. I would also really encourage her to pray at all times, and to claim scriptures such as, "Perfect love casts out fear." Then say, "I know God loves me perfectly and I love Him, so I am not afraid. He is with me, and He is greater than any other power. By the blood that Jesus shed for me, I command this bad feeling to leave! You are not allowed to stay here."

I know this probably sounds really strange!! And I am not an expert in this area, by any means, so someone else out there may have better advice and insight. But I think it could be a little spiritual warfare going on, and if she doesn't let it spook her but rather takes charge over it (through God's power only), it will go away. I will be saying a prayer for both of you today.

ps - when I say take charge over your household, I don't mean that you haven't been! I mean that we often don't take as much control and power that we have authority for, in the spiritual realm of our family. Just writing this to you makes me realize I need to be doing more of this in my own home. Good luck with all of this - I know it's troubling, whatever the cause. You sound very sensitive to her, which is so good.

My initial feeling about this is that she is experiencing some anxiety issues, and doesn't know how to describe that feeling inside to you, other than it feels like someone is watching. Or possibly she is looking for a logical reason to be feeling anxious. I would search the internet for a site that explains pre-teen anxiety and see if they have a quiz or something like that and you could narrow down if it could be that. From that point, a visit to your family doctor would be in order. But be very careful with anti-depressants (or anti-anxiety meds) with pre-teens and teens, as they've been linked to suicide.

Try putting curtains up. Heavy ones that make the room dark.
Then you might need to find someone for her to talk to. That way you dont feel like you are letting her down and she is getting some outside reassurance. I am glad that she is talking to you about it though. Keep your chin up.
Good luck

When we first moved into our home (17 yrs ago) there seemed to be a "presence" in the house. There would be a creaking in the ceiling at a certain time at night. My daughter did not looking down a hallway because she felt something was there. Also, I felt that there was an entity in the house and so did my husband. When my husband and I decided to renew our vows our neighbor a priest came over and did the ceremony and "blessed" the house. Since then, there have been no extra creaks and no feeling of a presence. Perhaps you can have a house blessing performed. A friend of ours did it.

Ask your daughter where she feels the most insecure and see if there is something outside. Good luck.

M., I have always felt this away and therefore I have nice curtains in my house. I have a dog to! Watching R movies with my family growing up didn't help. Now that I am an adult(31) I refuse to let my son see images that stuck with me till this day.

M.,

This could be simply an anxiety disorder. They can be prompted by traumatic events, but can also just develop. I would take her to a doc and have her checked out and look at the possibility of some sort of therapy, then drugs if that doesn't help. Many people suffer from different forms of anxiety disorders and are usually easy to alleviate. Good Luck!