Creepy Kids
Creepy kids get a bad rep.
Typically showcased as precocious, eerie, and generally “just not right,” it’s a trope that takes the natural assumption that children need to be protected and makes us feel as though maybe WE are the ones that need protected from them.
But why are we so unnerved by the thought of children who don’t prescribe to the idea of innocence we thrust upon them? What is it about kids who seem wise beyond their years or are preoccupied with horror or death that make us uneasy? Are creepy kids really all that bad or do they actually have an advantage as they push towards adulthood?
Growing up as an only child, my parents didn’t shelter me from much. I probably knew more and acted older than my years because of that and I personally feel like I’m better for it. I was definitely a creepy kid…believe it, though, I didn’t quite align with the Hollywood ideal of how creepy kids behave; I wasn’t sullen, I wasn’t cryptic, and I didn’t have some kind of supernatural ability. But I did (and do) love horror and all things dark, macabre, and with a questionable ending.
I learned about serial killers, abductions, rapists, and abusers while watching made for tv and Lifetime movies with my mom. My dad taught me about all the horror icons and classics like Night of the Living Dead and Freddy Krueger and took me to a local horror convention more than once. I devoured shows like Cold Case Files and stayed up late to watch reruns of Unsolved Mysteries. Goosebumps and Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark were frequently read before bed. Has ingesting these topics that many might believe are too adult/gruesome/nightmare inducing at a young age turned me into some sort of psychotic, maladjusted, misfit as an adult? Not really. On the contrary, in fact.
By watching, reading, learning about, and enjoying horror of all kinds under the guidance of my parents, it is my opinion that I became more prepared for the world from an earlier age. No one would ever call me naive but I also didn’t miss out on having a fun or easy childhood just because I became aware that life isn’t always bright colors and smiles when I was still in the single digits.
Kids live in a different reality than adults. If the show Rugrats taught me anything, it’s that any simple event can be a cause for fear through the eyes of a child so I can understand why parents prefer to shield their children from any extra causes of fright. But in his article “Horror is Good For You (And Even Better For Your Kids,)” comic writer Greg Ruth makes the point that, “It’s a spooky time to be a kid…the kids are already scared, so let’s give them some tools to cope with it beyond telling them not to worry about it all… when they really have every right to be scared poopless…Scary tales don’t warp kids; they give them a place to blow off steam while they are being warped by everything else.”
Maybe letting kids face and experience horror and fear in a controlled environment doesn’t turn them into creepy kids so much as kids with the ability to distinguish real threats from fictional ones. As a society, we spend so much of a person’s childhood insisting they be innocent, carefree, and ignorant of the true horrors they may one day face only to suddenly, in their teen years, expect them to understand the warning signs of a dangerous person or situation without any real coaching along the way. By coddling our kids in this way, we likely set them up for more hardships and distress simply due to their lack of knowledge and preparation.
Working in elementary classrooms for the last few years has let me come face to face with the new generation of creepy kids. I’ve had more than a couple of 5 year olds tell me they went to see IT when it came out in theaters or they’ve been playing Resident Evil or Bendy and the Ink Machine with a sibling. And ya know what? I think it’s awesome. I hope these kids continue to enjoy all things scary, haunting, and horrific without the interference of adults who think they know better about what is “appropriate” for children.
Creepy kids shouldn’t be feared or taught that their interests are unhealthy just because they’re young. Let a creepy kid be creepy, they’ll be better for it in the long run.
What interests did you have that might have qualified you as a “creepy kid?” Were your parents open to exploring things outside of conventional kid-centric entertainment or was it a strictly kid friendly in your house? Parents: what’s your stance on letting your kid explore horror and darker themes and why? Let me know in the comments below!