Saturday, August 04, 2007

Scary


Step aside, Boogie man.

Move over, monster in the closet...you've got competition.

My oldest-usually so logical, got scared by an email sent to her by a peer. This email said that if she didn't send it to 12 other people she would be in mortal danger. It affected her more than a scary movie would.

I tell her it's just a chain letter. Nothing's going to happen. She was afraid to sleep last night. Nothing I said to her calmed her down.

I reason with her. Still nothing. She's afraid that "Teddy" will be under her bed, waiting.

She asked me, "Mom, when you were my age, wouldn't you be afraid of a scary email?"

Me: I really can't answer that. I didn't have a computer when I was your age.

Her, smirking: Oh, yeah, ancient history.

Oh, the smartie pants! I pretend to be insulted: Hey! It's just that I didn't have a computer in the house back then. Nowadays almost everyone has one in his or her house.

Her, clinging to me: I don't wanna be alone.

Can this be happening? Can chain letter emails put fear into people like that? Just delete it. If I had gotten an email I thought was "cute" but had threatened me bad luck if I didn't send it to 10 people, I copy and paste it and omit the bottom part. I also use "blind copy" to send when I want to send it to others. This elimates the long list of emails before the email body from previous senders. I do admit that this particular email didn't have a "cute" message, though. It was sinister, it threatened bodily harm.

I admit that scary movies affect me. I am glad to be able to turn off my hearing aids during a really scary part because of the eerie music. That helped. The other night I watched Ghost Hunters. I totally freaked. I reason with myself that it's all special effects. I guess that I have to meet a ghost in order to believe that there is one. But still, my heart pounds as I check to make sure the doors are locked before turning in...

I was soooo tried last night. I couldn't reason with her. She was afraid something was going to happen to her. I tell her she's going to be okay. (Sage advice from someone who spooks easily, though I know it's ridiculous.)

I tell her to pray and put her trust in God. It comforts me. Of course, I don't have to listen to the sounds of the night. When my hearing aids are out, I am deaf. I can't hear the "bumps" in the night.

Still, it's crazy that a little email can put such fear into people-without eerie music coming out of the computer speakers.

A wise man once said, "You have nothing to fear except fear itself."

Maybe except for this:

glitter-graphics.com

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4 Comments:

At Sat Aug 04, 11:59:00 AM , Blogger Karma said...

I get easily scared too, and also want to be comforted by having someone else around me. Enjoy the bonding time that this allows.

 
At Sat Aug 04, 09:18:00 PM , Blogger Michelle O'Neil said...

Poor girl!

It stinks to be scared. And by an e-mail no less!

 
At Sun Aug 05, 09:08:00 AM , Blogger Shari said...

Karma-You and me both.

Michelle-Ditto. Isn't there enough to be scared of?

 
At Sun Aug 05, 11:01:00 AM , Blogger Amrita said...

I dislike chain emails and always delete them

 

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