First of all, how do second graders know about Bloody Mary? Second, maybe she didn't really know what it was. Maybe she was talking about the alcoholic beverage and yes, that is very real.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
Natalie looked at me like I was a complete idiot. "Duh. You say her name and she appears in the mirror. Bloody."
Oh. Crap.
"She's not real," I told her. "Unless we're talking about Mary Tudor. King Henry VIII's daughter. She was called Bloody Mary because she killed so many Protestants."
Natalie's mouth dropped open. "So she is real! How will I sleep ever AGAIN?"
Uh oh. I couldn't have her refusing to sleep. What if she wanted to sleep with me? I believe children belong in their own rooms. This is mostly because I like my space. I have enough issues sharing the bed with my husband.
That evening, I reassured Natalie that Bloody Mary was not real.
"I can't possibly take a bath!" Natalie shrieked. "What if her face appears in the mirror? I'll be DEAD FOREVER!"
"That won't happen," I promised.
She took the world's quickest bath.
When it was time to go to bed, she insisted on sleeping with the light on. She made me check to be sure Bloody Mary wasn't hovering. She also made me cover the mirror in her room.
"It's not real," I kept saying, but Natalie was like, "You just don't KNOW!"
At least she slept on her own. She's still timid about Bloody Mary though. She darts in the bathroom, does her business, and darts back out. I'm not sure how long this will last.
I wonder what she'll learn next at school? Stiff As A Feather, Light As A Board?
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HA! I think I was actually her age or maybe in the 3rd grade when I learned about Bloody Mary, but I refused to tempt it because I thought for sure she was real. Then when I was older and much cooler I decided to try it out for myself HA! I remember standing in the downstairs half bath saying her name 3 times with the door shut and my eyes closed and nothing happened...
ReplyDeleteOh to be young again...
Lol. The things people believe just crack me up.
ReplyDeleteOh man! I think I was 12 when I first heard about it? Can't remember.
ReplyDeleteI remember learning about bloddy mary at around that time. My niece Camila (turns 10 today) was just talking about it this weekend, but she doesn't believe it.
ReplyDeleteUmm....I must be a total dork - I have no idea what or who Bloody Mary is. I know I grew up sheltered and clueless but I thought I was caught up:)
ReplyDeleteHAHAH! THE PICTURE FOR THIS POST IS PERFECT! LOL omg. hahaha! I love that you were like "how do 2nd graders know what a bloody mary is?" Too good. I miss being scared like that when I was younger!
ReplyDeleteThe first graders at our school were the ones who started it. I figure they have older siblings who told them and they were nice enough to share at lunch. My daughter is in third grade and she asked me if Bloody Mary was real. I told her she wasn't and to make sure she believed me, I looked in our hallway mirror and said it. When I I was younger I believed in Bloody Mary but we called her Mary Worth. I was terrified and for two weeks, I didn't sleep. My mom stood in the bathroom with me and had me say it. I figured the way I did it, my daughter would believe me and neither one of us would lose sleep.
ReplyDeleteI love that picture, lol! She'll be scared for a while. I love how she runs in and out!
ReplyDeleteWhat are they teaching in school these days!! Haha! I do remember saying her name into a mirror just to be sure it was fake.
ReplyDeleteI totally did Bloody Mary at her age! It used to be a slumber party thing and people made up the strangest and scariest stories.
ReplyDeleteDon't tell her but I did Bloody Mary once and I totally "saw" something. The thing is, I know it was in my head but I'm not one to see things in my head. I must have just been really young. It was really freaky. It looked a bit like Bellatrix Lestrange! Help me.
Light as a feather.......oh those grade school memories :)
ReplyDeleteThe picture is just perfect!
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness! That picture just says it all.
ReplyDeleteMy hubby and I just watched the Supernatural episode of Bloody Mary... eek!
I used to work in child care and I was stunned at the stories the out-of-school-care kids told (and Bloody Mary was one of them). I'm sure she'll be freaked out for a little while but it will eventually pass.
Thanks for sharing.
xoxo
Lmao you're hilarious. I'm so afraid to have a child because if she asked me about Bloody Mary I would be like "omg nooo but say candyman 3x in the mirror? That shit is real!" Haha what can I say..scream queen for life.
ReplyDeleteToo bad this can't happen during the teen years when you won't be able to get her out of the bathroom or away from the mirror :)!
ReplyDeleteHaha....I used to make the quickest pee possibly when I learned about Bloody Mary. I think I went a whole 6 months without looking in a bathroom mirror. I hope she gets over it quicker then I did.
ReplyDeleteIt seriously amazes me that some of these things are still talked about among children. Although maybe it shows imagination in our youth and we should celebrate it?
ReplyDeleteI had the same experience this summer while my daughter was at daycamp. She came home one night and told me that the "older" kids locked her and another little girl in the bathroom and told them all about Bloody Mary - thanks A-Hole Kids, my child already has sleeping issues. I was not a happy parent!
ReplyDeleteI was Natalie's age when I was introduced to Bloody Mary. The principal made us tour the bathrooms to prove to us that there was nothing in the mirror.
ReplyDeleteI remember hearing about this in high school. So ridiculous. As someone with a history degree I love that you told her about the real bloody mary!
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure I was in 6th grade when I learned that.
ReplyDeletethe urban legends of kids...how did we find out about bloody mary as kids?
ReplyDeleteOh gosh! I hope my kids don't come home with that info!! I remember doing those things in middle school, but not before!
ReplyDeleteDS learned on her in VPK- 4 1/2 years old! How the holy heck does that happen?!?! I blame another child's older sibling. Not what you want your child coming home talking asking about.
ReplyDelete