5 days ago
Her Father Died in 2002. Her Toddler Says She Knows Where He Is, and That He's Missing Her (Exclusive)
A 2-year-old told her mom, 'Your daddy is missing you,' while pointing to the hallway — referring to a grandfather who died two decades ago
The video, captured in a now-viral TikTok, brought back memories of similar childhood moments for the mom herself
Chyanne J. says the peaceful feeling from the experience changed how she thinks about connection, grief and the afterlifeFor Chyanne J., an ordinary morning turned extraordinary when her toddler daughter calmly insisted that her late grandfather was standing in the hallway. The moment, caught on video and shared to TikTok, quickly captivated millions.
'My daughter kept telling me to come here, and I was cleaning up or whatever, and that's when she said, 'Your daddy's here,' ' Chyanne J. tells PEOPLE. 'In the beginning of the video, when I first started recording, you can hear her say, 'It's daddy.' And I asked, 'Is it your daddy, or is it my daddy?' And she said, 'It's your daddy.' '
The clip captures the moment Chyanne's 2-year-old daughter points down the hallway, insisting that her grandfather — who died in 2002 — is right there. She then tells her mom, 'Your daddy's missing you.'
At first, Chyanne says she was flooded with disbelief. 'It was panic when she was telling me, 'It's your daddy. He's right here,' ' she recalls.
The shock deepened when she realized her daughter was talking about someone she never met. 'It kind of hit like, okay, my dad has obviously passed, so, you know ...' she says.
Trying to process the moment, Chyanne asked her daughter to point out exactly where he was. 'She said, 'He's right here,' and then added, 'Your daddy's missing you,' ' she shares. 'It was emotional, but I was so caught off guard that I didn't even process what really happened until afterward.'
This wasn't the first time her daughter had made a mysterious claim like this. Months earlier, she had suddenly refused to sleep in her room.
'I knew something was wrong, because it was almost like she was afraid,' Chyanne says. 'We were asking her, 'What's wrong?' and she said, 'There's a ghost.' '
In an effort to ease her fear, Chyanne showed her a photo from her wedding day where a family member had edited in her late father. 'She lit up,' Chyanne remembers. 'I think seeing me in the photo with him comforted her, because she knew this was nothing to be afraid of.'
Her daughter began calling him 'daddy ghost' and started talking about him as if he were her friend. 'Another time, she came up to me and said, 'The ghost sees me,' and took me to her bedroom and told me it was my dad,' she says. 'If the first two things were crazy, this one — where she said he's missing you — was the craziest.'
What makes the moment even more interesting is that Chyanne never spoke to her daughter about her father. 'One of the main things people ask is, did she know him? No,' she says. 'She didn't know him at all.'
Chyanne was just 2 years old when her father died, the same age her daughter is now. 'I remember certain things, but mostly the relationship I've built with him is through stories from my family,' she shares.
It was a familiar experience for Chyanne, who says she had similar encounters as a young girl. 'My family always talks about how I did the same thing — talked to my grandfather and to my dad after he passed,' she explains. 'They absolutely believed me when I told them what was happening.'
Her grandmother, especially, encouraged her to nurture her daughter's gift. 'She told me, just keep encouraging her and believing in her,' Chyanne says. 'Don't make her feel scared or like she's crazy — just say, 'Yes, baby, he's here,' and go on.'
While the experience was startling at first, Chyanne says she ultimately "felt very calm and peaceful,' she tells PEOPLE.
'We walked into her room and everything just felt okay,' she continues. 'There was no panic, nothing to be scared of — I could feel that it was okay.'
Moments like this have changed how she thinks about life and what comes after. 'I do love to think that we will get to visit our loved ones when we pass,' she says. 'It makes me a little more excited for what's to come.'
The viral response has been overwhelming but mostly supportive. 'About 85% of the comments are people's personal stories, like, 'Please believe her, this happened to me,' ' Chyanne says. 'It makes me feel not so like, 'Oh my God, why is this only happening to me?' '
Some commenters were skeptical, but the outpouring of heartfelt experiences far outweighed the negativity. 'A lot of people even messaged me about how they help their children or grandchildren with something similar,' she says. 'That's been helpful too.'
Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Chyanne describes her daughter as unusually articulate and bright for her age. 'She's the smartest 2-year-old. I went to college for early childhood development, and she blows me away,' she says.
Her daughter talks like an adult, understands sarcasm and even tells jokes. 'Everybody's like, 'Did she just say that?' And she absolutely did,' Chyanne adds.
Although life has been busy, Chyanne hopes to bring her daughter to visit her father's grave soon. 'Every time we've tried, something came up,' she says. 'But now I really want to take her out there, especially since she understands so much.'
For Chyanne, the moment captured on TikTok was more than a viral sensation. 'It was the first time I ever felt like I got to talk to my dad,' she says softly. 'And that means everything.'
Read the original article on People
