MY TODDLER WAS WATCHING TV LIKE THIS—AND HIS GESTURE MADE ME TURN IT OFF IMMEDIATELY (2 of 5)

My stomach twisted. Was he okay? Why wasn’t he responding to me?

I stepped forward cautiously, my heart pounding. “Oliver?” I said, trying to keep my voice light, but it was hard to hide the unease creeping into my words.

He didn’t respond. He simply stood there, staring intently at the TV.

For a moment, I froze. Was this normal toddler behavior? I mean, he loved the Muppets, but this was different. He’d watched it before, and he usually giggled at the funny parts or would mimic their voices—just like any other child his age. But this? This was unsettling.

I turned the TV off. The sound stopped immediately, but Oliver didn’t move.

“Oliver,” I said, stepping closer. “Sweetheart, are you okay?” I reached down to gently touch his arm.

And that’s when it happened. His head snapped toward me so quickly, it startled me. His eyes were wide open, unblinking, and then, in a voice that wasn’t his own, he whispered, “Don’t turn it off.”

I stumbled back, my heart now racing in my chest. That wasn’t his voice. It wasn’t even close.