Grieving dad gets emotional as toddler son says he 'saw' late grandpa waving at him: 'Your daddy's here'

Jake Quickenden, who goes by @jakequickenden on Instagram, was shocked when his son, Leo, told him, "Your daddy's here!" Before Jake could comprehend anything, his son further announced that he saw his deceased grandpa standing by the doorway, waving at him. The emotional video quickly went viral, gaining over 2 million views since it was published on June 17, 2025.

"He's invisible because he was in the sky," Leo said, trying to explain his grandpa's arrival to his dad. When Jake asked what his father, who had apparently come to visit them, was doing, Leo responded, "He was saying 'hi' to me!" Jake was completely numb; he couldn't understand whether he should cry or be terrified because his son could see his late father in the house. With a trembling voice, he asked if his dad said anything to him, and to this, Leo said, "He loves you!" Moving on, Jake asked if this was the first time Leo had seen his grandpa in the house, and he nodded fervently. "He then described him and everything lol he’s seen a couple pics but yeah total madness," Jake shared in the caption.

While many believe children have an otherworldly connection with spirits, others dismiss it as a myth. In fact, according to Dr. Jacqueline Woolley, between 30-50% of kids have an imaginary companion at some point in their lives. Besides, she said that many of the spirit sightings, as they call them, might be because of discussions about supernatural beings around them. Dr. Woolley shared that kids raised in such an environment are more likely to talk about such experiences than those children who aren't exposed to supernatural concepts.

Meanwhile, when Jake shared the incident online, he received an overwhelming response from people, especially those with similar experiences. For instance, @lisajanewillows shared, "Kids do indeed. My mom passed when my daughter was 2, and when I put her to bed each night until she was probably 5ish, she would say, 'I have to move up as Nanny comes and lies down with me when you go downstairs.' It gave me comfort that she was still with us. Your dad is visiting you all, Jake." @s.whitlock2018 revealed, "Adorable! My son used to giggle and wave at the doorway in our old house. He said it was Jim, the old man who lived there before us, but we never told him his name was Jim! Freaked us all out!"

@littledotart wrote, "Totally believe him. I’ve heard this happen SO many times with young children; my cousin did the same when he was about 3. Apparently, their minds are ‘open’ at that age for spirits (or whatever you want to call them) to come through!" On the other hand, @emilieraebux said, "Spirits gather in doorways, hallways, and the tops of stairs usually! I kept seeing my best friend who passed away, and she was always in my doorway. I spoke to a medium and he said, 'Your friend, Charlii, visits you in the doorway, doesn’t she?' I’d never told anyone that other than my mom, and she’s a non-believer. They’re always around us when we need them."

You can follow Jake Quickenden (@jakequickenden) on Instagram for more lifestyle content.