What’s something you used to believe as a kid that seems ridiculous now?
Something I genuinely believed as a child—and now realize is completely ridiculous—was that the devil could come into your room through an open window.
If you know the movie The Exorcist, then you probably know exactly where this fear came from.
I grew up in a very religious family, and between that and watching The Exorcist way too young, the idea stuck. But it wasn’t just the movie. I was also told over and over not to sleep with my window open. My parents believed that sleeping with the window open at night would make you sick, and instead of simply saying that, they decided the best scare tactic was… The Exorcist.
Needless to say, it worked.
For years, I hated horror movies, and I refused to sleep with the window open. Even after I stopped believing the whole “the devil will come through the window” part, I still held onto the idea that sleeping with it open would automatically make me sick. Funny how childhood beliefs can evolve instead of disappearing completely.
Hector, on the other hand, loves sleeping with the window open. It became a recurring debate in our house because I was firmly Team Closed Window.
Ironically, the only thing that finally changed my mind was pregnancy. Once I started overheating every single day, I didn’t care about any of my childhood conditioning anymore—I just wanted air. Suddenly, sleeping with the window open didn’t seem so scary.
It’s funny how some childhood fears have layers. First, it was fear of the devil. Then it became fear of getting sick. Even after the original belief was gone, part of it lingered for years.
Looking back now, it’s wild to think an open window had that much power over me.
