Story Archive

Believe Children

Caitlin Burch, who lives in an unspecified city north of Columbus, Ohio, did not believe her daughters, ages 7 and 10, when they told her a “creature” or “rat” was living in their bedroom. It finally got to the point where “the 7-year-old would not sleep in her room,” Burch said. “I told her she could sleep in the guest room that night if it made her feel better.” It wasn’t until three days later that the adults finally saw the beast. “It had crawled into one of the dresses hanging in the closet,” said the mother. “It was peeking out of the neck hole.” It was an opossum. “If I had known it was in the house,” Burch said, “we would have been in a hotel for sure.” (AC/Dayton Daily News, WAGA Atlanta) ...But since only her daughters knew, the guest room was safety enough.