Does your child have an imaginary friend????

[casscart]

I don't think I know any kids that age, but my imaginary friend David was around til I was about 5.
DD2 has them. More than 1. She's so funny alway bossing them around & holding hands with them.
I don't know if I'd be worried just yet.
Does she have many friends at school?

Thanks for your reply bjrose

She has her 3 main friends at school, one of them she sometimes has over or she goes over to her place for a few hours. She does get really upset when her friends or other kids are mean to her. I think everyone is like that when others are being mean, but she does dwell on it a lot more and a lot longer then I expected a child at her age would.

So is it quite normal for a child to play and talk with an imaginary person? I'm feeling quite bad about the way I have behaved regarding this issue. I think it was the 'ORANGE Eyes' thing that made me freak out more then the whole 'IMAGINARY friend' issue.

[Curly]

My imaginary friend Jenny was around till I went to pre-school at the age of 4 and met a real Jenny. Mum said she never heard about imaginary Jenny ever again and thank goodness for that, Jenny drove her mad! Apparently she would have to pretend to wash Jenny in the bath, set a plate at the table for Jenny (she drew the line at putting food on it!), while I sat on half the chair because Jenny was on the other half. Jenny would sleep in bed with me etc etc. I have no memory of it though!

However she did say that she never ever made any negative comments about it or say that Jenny didn't exist or let anyone else do that because she thought it would be harmful emotionally. I was an only child for quite a while because my parents couldn't get pregnant easily and I believe it was partly for company and partly through a child's fertile imagination that Jenny was around.

I wouldn't worry - what a great imagination your DD has. It is very normal. Don't fret about your initial comments either - while I wouldn't encourage imaginary friends I wouldn't discourage them either...it's just a stage, it gives her comfort, and she will grow out of it. Allow her to talk about her friend - it keeps the lines of communication open.

[casscart]

Thanks for the feedback everyone, it really does help to get your opinion on this. LOL I have settled down now and know I sometimes overreact with issues that I have no knowledge on.

Thanks for your feedback CourtRach Maybe I came across a bit crazy in my post on this, I shouldn't just jump on here until I've actually had a cuppa and a sit-down LOL. But I think its so much more pleasnt and I get better feedback from you guys on BB then I do from family. I'm going to take up your advice on asking my dd to sit down with me and draw a picture of her friend and chatting with her.

Salsa, thank you also. I know what you mean about the spirit thing hehe....It did cross my mind more then once today as I do believe in spirits. I had a friend tell me about her mothers siblings having a spirit child playing with them....Here I go again, 'horror stories'

[Ca Plane Pour Moi]

OK, I'm a nutcase, but I had imaginary friends as a teenager. I still would like one! Maybe do what DS does and just talk to one of his phones without a reply.

It's not only normal and healthy, it's a good sign. Your child has a good imagination! This means she isn't going to be "bored" and therefore destructive. A good imagination often signals high intelligence (keep telling myself that...) and she'll be a GREAT storyteller to her little sister in a few years: I've had a phone call from one lad I used to know, he was 17 and heard that I'd told his nephew a story I used to tell him but it was a NEW one so I had to tell it to him!

It can be that your child is lonely, but I had loads of physical friends, just none on my intellectual level (I was really into intellectual/word humour from age 2-3, most children aren't then) and when the others caught up and I had "brainy" friends who enjoyed my fantasy land my imaginary friends just went. I had a new set as a teenager because I needed someone to love me and I needed to talk to someone; I had no-one else. I knew these were imaginary friends and not real, but it was nice to pretend someone was there just for me and I didn't have to worry about them back. But I did - one had a blind sister, another was fighting with his dad, another was an orphan and lived with her grandma... but still, they were there for me and not offloading all the time.

HTH.

[~clover~]

I just remembered that DD1 had a few times - not many - where she'd pretend to play with someone else. Not a friend exactly, she just pretended that someone else was there.
DH didn't like it as it wasn't real. The same as when she'd crawl around barking like a dog. He used to tell her to knock it off. I'd have to sit & explain to him that its normal & healthy to do those things & that I never want him telling her to stop again as I didn't want to discourage her imagination.
To me thats the most important thing a child has & something they need as an adult. Not quite so out there as an adult I hope, but I want them to be able to think on the spot & I think that helps.

Don't worry too much as it'll probably help her when there are problems with friends at school.