Mum convinced three year old has 'lived before' after nursery conversation

Daily Mirror

19-06-2025

Laighanne McLaughlin says she was called in to speak to a key worker at her young son's nursery who told her something he had said which was truly bizarre - and had stumped them both
A mum has recalled the eerie moment her then three-year old son revealed something that convinced her he'd lived before in the 1800s. Laighanne McLaughlin revealed she went to pick the youngster up from nursery one day when she was summoned for a private chat by his key worker.
She continued the story on TikTok, adding that the member of staff questioned her about the identity of a John Wilson, whom her son had mentioned on several occasions that day. "I was confused and she [key worker] told me he was playing outside with flags and started speaking about John Wilson. I looked at her puzzled and told her I don't know anyone of that name," Laighanne said. But soon the story was to take a bizarre twist.
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The key worker then told Laighanne that her son had actually identified John Wilson himself - the "flag man in America on a mountain" who was his friend. "Myself and his key worker were stumped," Laighanne admitted.
"She went and got the iPad and said we would look on Google if anything comes up. My son was only three years old and hadn't started using iPads and obviously couldn't read very well."
Then, Laighanne said nothing could prepare them for what they discovered. "Both of us were in disbelief at what we saw next and it left us feeling flabbergasted," she confessed.
Sharing an old black and white photograph of a man of that name, she explained: "This is Captain John Wilson of Co. C, 8th Kentucky Infantry Regiment (Union)."
A second snap followed, this time of Wilson accompanied by other members of his regiment, as Laighanne added: "He was the first Union soldier to plant his regiment's battle flag on the summit of the Lookout Mountain (during the Battle of Lookout Mountain during the American Civil War on 24th November 1863)."
Still baffled to this day 11 years on, Laighanne pondered: "No three-year old could have known that information. Was my son actually there? There's no explanation I can think of why he would say he knew him and he was his friend."
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Closing her post, Laighanne shared another piece of ghostly information, only fuelling the possibility of a reincarnation further. "What makes it more strange is John Wilson lived four miles from Irvine, Kentucky - and we live in Irvine, Scotland!" she said.
Indeed, an Irvine obituary from the time of Wilson's death titled 'Death of a hero' revealed he passed away aged 74 from cancer at his home in Station Camp, Kentucky.
Writing in response, other TikTok users shared similar scenarios they had experienced. "Lost my 25-year old brother when I was eight months pregnant with my 1st daughter," one person shared. "When she was three, she pointed at an old school photo of my late brother and said, 'that's me when I was your brother'. She wouldn't have even known who was in the photo. She used to say similar things that he did and she has one dimple, just like him."
Another replied: "My son when he was four said his name was Peter (it's not) and he died on a hot air balloon when he was 57."
A third added: "This is amazing, makes me wonder! My three-year old keeps telling me about in 1965 he had a brown dog called Jack and he talks about him all the time and said he misses him."
Whilst a fourth said: "My son talked about his life in France (we've never been nor has anyone we know). He said his dad died in a drowning accident near their house. Named the place and a nearby castle too!"