A 2-year-old girl just discovered her own shadow — now she’s convinced it’s going to get her

Shadows are a mystery for toddlers. A dad recently captured his 2-year-old daughter’s bizarre reaction to her own shadow, and the internet is in splits. On their family TikTok, Bini & the family (@theafrolatinfamilia), the parents watched as their toddler tossed and turned in fear of her shadow on the road. Decked in pink, the little girl was terrified of the dark ‘thing’ that kept following her. No thanks to her father, who tried to explain what it was while she did her best to escape the shadow emerging from beneath her shoes. 

“POV: When your 2-year-old is scared of her own shadow,” an overlay text on the video hinted. The toddler, who was identified as Ellie, did not expect anyone else to join her and her parents on their outing. However, as she stepped out in the sun, a defined shadow appeared underneath her that scared the life out of the nervous toddler. “That’s you, Ellie. It’s okay…It’s your shadow,” the dad explained. She fell down twice, sobbing, prompting her mom to finally pick her up from the ground. Turns out, there were several occasions where Ellie was found in conflict with her own silhouette. 

In an adjoining clip, Ellie seemed content drinking juice, but the terror of shadows returned. While the intensity of her reactions leveled down as she got used to the shadows following her, the parents still struggled to help her make sense of the natural element. The post garnered 13.5 million views and 1.5 million hearts, noting poor Ellie’s fear of shadows. “Ellie discovered her shadow and is now terrified by it,” the caption stated. Meanwhile, people in the comments shared their perspectives and some empathy for the kid. 

“Honestly, it is kinda scary when you don’t know,” quipped @leeeshateee and @astarr06 joked, “She’s fast but her shadow is faster.” Some viewers called out the father for saying, “It walks with you” to the scared child. A viewer, @kenysh, suggested, “Maybe there is a children’s book y’all can read to her about shadows.” However, some users agreed that shadows are scary for kids. As per experts at Today’s Parent, it is “normal” for children aged up to 4 years old to be afraid of the dark and shadows. This is because until the age of six, kids cannot differentiate between reality and imagination, with shadows becoming a cause for worry in their little brains. 

In such situations, it is important for parents to offer support and help build their child’s confidence with real facts. The first important step is to listen to the child’s perspective and how shadows might be scaring them, per Rise and Shine. It is not recommended that parents pretend to shoo away the darkness or shadows by simply looking under the bed or checking the closet. Following that, as the kids grow, parents can teach them problem-solving skills and base their actions accordingly. 

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