Certain consistent patterns have emerged: The most pronounced and convincing cases, Stevenson and Tucker both found, tend to occur in children between the ages of 2 and 6. They might suddenly describe places they have never been, people they have never met, sometimes using words or phrases that seem beyond their vocabulary. Nightmares or sleep disturbances are occasionally reported. Many of these children are highly verbal and start speaking earlier than their peers. Their descriptions of past-life recollections often fade away entirely by the time the child turns 7 or 8.
This definitely sounds like an interesting psychological phenomenon, but children of that age have been watching a lot of TV since the 1950s and there’s all kinds of things they see, especially on the internet, that could influence them. The parents could influence them without realizing it. People could have contact with the children and places like daycares and influence them.
There’s a moment in the article where it seems pretty obvious to me that the main child is being influenced by the world around her and the parents are oblivious.
How Aija once dramatically declared to her parents, “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the end of the world!” and curtsied.
“It’s a little disturbing to hear that from a 2-year-old, especially in the middle of a pandemic,” Marie says with a slight laugh.
Tucker nods. “You kind of wonder where she even picked up the expression.”
I would say the most likely answer is the she picked up the expression from someone around her since, as her mother says, it was in the middle of a pandemic.
I would also point out that Nina always speaks English. If she were in a concentration camp, that would be unlikely. Wouldn’t Aija recognize some European language? Maybe even Yiddish or Hebrew?
As far as the other boy? Harder to know there, but even though Tucker doesn’t think all parents are lying and coaching their kids, that doesn’t mean that wasn’t the case with Ryan.
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