Imaginary friends

[TigerCheer2009]

I had many imaginary friends. I had an imaginary zebra, an imaginary dog, an imaginary fish...many many invisible "friends" (like Shayna).

OH! And there was Sparky the Dog Who Barked Christmas Carols. I was actually Sparky for quite a time and barked Jingle Bells...

 

[ImarriedGrumpy]

It's totally normal, and I'll confirm that it is usually associated with intelligence and creativity in young children. Don't worry about it, but just enjoy it! When I taught preschool I would always tell the parents "I won't believe half of what your child tells me about your family and home life if you won't believe half of what s/he tells you about school." The kids always had crazy stories to tell us. One boy told me that the police came to his house and arrested his big brother last night and then his parents got really mad and his dad started hitting the police man and had to go to jail and his mom wouldn't pay to get them out. I asked his mom about it when she came to pick him up and she was just horrified - the only thing that had happened was the police came to their house to pass out a flier for a neighborhood watch meeting! This little boy wasn't watching any TV shows that would give him ideas - he just came up with it on his own. Too funny...

My brother and I had a whole city of imaginary friends we called "the teenie tinies". There was the teenie tiny king and the teenie tiny queen and they had amazing adventures. Our parents were always "almost vacuuming up the teenie tinies!" or stepping on them, or destroying their homes, etc. My dad had to tell us before he mowed the lawn so we could go outside and warn all the teenie tinies and help them move to safety.
One of our friends' DD has an imaginary friend named Simon. She told my DH once that Simon is African-American - and this little girl is 1/2 Chinese, 1/2 Caucasian! She was too cute - "Be careful! You almost sat on Simon. He's my friend. He's African-American, you know."

 

[BrerLizzie]

I remember having imaginary dogs.. Katie was a small dalmation and Gretchen was just a regular dog. In a weird coinsidence, both names are the same as 2 people who came around later and are sort of important to me.

 

[bigbabyblues]

My DS had an imaginary friend about that age too, it didn't seem to have a name though, just "imaginary friend". He never liked what I was having for lunch, but it didn't matter because it was not nice (from DS mouth) and didn't set a plate of food for him. I never stepped on him though, probably a good thing. After a few months, we didn't hear about him anymore.

 

[Stacerita]

It was always told that it was a sign of high intelligence if a child had an imaginary friend. Not to mention that they are creative.

The sweetpea had two "friends". One was named Jinx and he would come everywhere with us. Had to help him into the car, strap his belt for him, buy him stuff while we were out. He was for the most part a good friend. Didn't do much to get in trouble, and always was there with the sweetpea. Her other "friend" was Kevin. Sorry to say he was odd man out. My car at the time only had two belts in the back so he never got to go many places with us. But Jinx and Kevin were good friends to her. Always there when she wanted to play or wanted to talk.

 

[Amlee]

OK, I'm reluctant to post and I don't want to scare the OP. But I often wonder if there's more to these imaginary friends than we know, particularly when they're so detailed from children who are very young.

With that said, has anyone else noticed what looks like an orb above the OP's dd's head in her signature photo (at first I thought she had Mickey ears on)?

Ok I was also reluctant to post one of my nieces imaginary friend story. But since you did yours I'll do mine.


My niece had an imaginary friend named Lucy. Lucy did EVERTHING my niece did. She was included in all of our family events. My niece insisted that Lucy was real My niece was about 3 years old. One day she and my sil were going down a road in a community that my neice wasn't familiar with. My niece started yelling for her mother to stop. My sil pulled over and my niece wanted out of the car. So my sil unbelted her from her car seat and got of the car. My niece took off running up the hill to a cemetary. When my sil caught up with my niece she was standing in front of a tombstone with the first name Lucy. She told her mama that was where Lucy lived.


It was explained to me once that before we are born we are in Heaven. After we are born we still have memories of being in Heaven. (ever see a baby stare off in to thin air, but die laughing?) So we can still communicate with those we knew in Heaven. As we get older we start to forget. Or in most cases we are taught to let it go. As we age and get closer to death our body starts to remember things that it forgets. (ever seen an elderly person close to death start talking to people that have been gone for a while?) It's our body being prepared to enter back into Heaven.

 

[kristen821]

OK, I'm reluctant to post and I don't want to scare the OP. But I often wonder if there's more to these imaginary friends than we know, particularly when they're so detailed from children who are very young.

With that said, has anyone else noticed what looks like an orb above the OP's dd's head in her signature photo (at first I thought she had Mickey ears on)?

A friend of mine thinks dd is seeing ghost too. I don't know if this is true in dd case, but you never know I guess. Today she had a wallet that my mom gave her last year to play with it still had the tags on it and my mom received it as a gift. My friend asked dd where she got and dd said "from my cousin" so I know what she says isn't exactly true I'm sure she didn't know were the wallet came from. She also said her cousin isn't invited to her b-day party because she hit her. Can you be hit by a ghost? I will see if I can post another picture on here of dd I don't think all of her pictures looks like she has anything above her head, but I may not even notice since I didn't notice the "mickey ears" until they were pointed out. I will be really freaked out if something like this was true!


Edited to add: I tried to post another picture but I don't know how to do I looked at pictures taken the same day and didn't see anything.

 

[kristen821]

Ok I was also reluctant to post one of my nieces imaginary friend story. But since you did yours I'll do mine.


My niece had an imaginary friend named Lucy. Lucy did EVERTHING my niece did. She was included in all of our family events. My niece insisted that Lucy was real My niece was about 3 years old. One day she and my sil were going down a road in a community that my neice wasn't familiar with. My niece started yelling for her mother to stop. My sil pulled over and my niece wanted out of the car. So my sil unbelted her from her car seat and got of the car. My niece took off running up the hill to a cemetary. When my sil caught up with my niece she was standing in front of a tombstone with the first name Lucy. She told her mama that was where Lucy lived.


It was explained to me once that before we are born we are in Heaven. After we are born we still have memories of being in Heaven. (ever see a baby stare off in to thin air, but die laughing?) So we can still communicate with those we knew in Heaven. As we get older we start to forget. Or in most cases we are taught to let it go. As we age and get closer to death our body starts to remember things that it forgets. (ever seen an elderly person close to death start talking to people that have been gone for a while?) It's our body being prepared to enter back into Heaven.

That's scary, Did your neice ever see Lucy again?

 

[kristen821]

When my oldest son was about 2 he had an "imaginary friend" named JJ JOE JOE we were used to JJ being around and my son playing with him even though my nephew was always there for my son to play. Markey and JJ used to play with Matchbox cars at the kiddie table all the time and carry on "conversations" Markey would say something-stop-listen for a reply while looking directly across the table-then say something else to answer whatever it was he heard from JJ-----Like I said we were used to it even when he went to bed at night he would say "Night JJ I love you"---Well a while later my grandmother was downstairs visiting my parents and decided to come upstairs to visit us---We went into the living room and were sitting on the couch talking and Markey was at his table playing when he went into a conversation with JJ----my grandmother sat there and stared at him then whipped her head around and asked my mom and I if we had taught him that---He was sitting there repeating "Peter Piper"---yes I mean repeating--he would say a couple of words then look across the table and say a couple of more words-----My mom looked at me and I looked at her and both us shook our heads and said no---my grandmother looked at my son again then jumped up off the couch and headed for the door all the while screaming about how she was never coming back to my house again----Well when my mom had her downstairs she asked her what the h"ll was going on and my grams was like"who taught you "Peter Piper" and my was like I dont know---so my grams made her call my uncles and ask them and both replied-"UNCLE JOE"---It took my mom a few to put together JJ JOE JOE with Uncle Joe but when she did she called me and told me what was going on------Well JJ went away not to long after that,Markey told me JJ told him goodbye---ZTo this day I'm convinced that JJ was my Uncle Joe who had passed away when I was verry little and that he wanted to let my grams know he was still thinking of her(his sister)---Markey is now 14 and still remembers JJ.

That is really neat.

 

[Cindyluwho]

Kristen,
Don't forget to write all this fun stuff down for your DD. She'll appreciate it when she's older, especially when she has kids of her own. Until then, you can use it as blackmail when she gets to High School!

 

[aprilgail2]

Kristen,
Don't forget to write all this fun stuff down for your DD. She'll appreciate it when she's older, especially when she has kids of her own. Until then, you can use it as blackmail when she gets to High School!

I have kept a journal type thing for my daughter sice she was born...once a week I sit at the computer and type out what we did that week, whats new with her, funny things she said or did , whats happening in school etc...I print up the pages every now and then just in case the computer crashes and put them in her memory box for her...when she gets older she can look back on everything we did from the time she was born...

 

[grlpwrd]

I think it's normal to have an imaginary friend, but her friend is associated with violence - like as you stated Cakie "punched" dd and now is not invited to her birthday party, Angela is in jail with her mother (going to jail is associated with doing something bad), and that her Grandpa was shot in the head by police.

I would be concerned with that connection, but you all are also giving me the heebie-jeebies about a possible supernatural connection, too. Yikes. lol j/k

 

[Ava83]

My DD 3.5 has a big ole imagination also (we need to ask her to shut it off for sleeping) She plays with others (real and imaginary) out loud (but she is the only one around) Does it in the car, when she is taking a bath, about to go to sleep. She requests we don't interrupt her and her friends.

I was actually concerned and spoke to her preschool teacher who told me it was pretty normal.

 

[love the magic]

My vote is that it's a sign of a creative and artistic mind! Of course having said THAT...I had three imaginary friends growing up....well...actually....two friend and a dog! Oddly enough, they weren't even my own "age" in my mind....they were more like my children! There was not much interferrence in life having aquired Jensy, Brumpum and Balacha (that was the dog) into our lives....other than the time we were crossing the street and Jensey ran out in front of me! I starting SCREAMING and scolding her "JENSEY...don't EVER run into the street without holding my hand!"

Can't quite remember how or when they left the fold...but I CAN assure you - I'm none the worse for the wear. I too grew into and developed strong writing, artistic and musical abilities...ENJOY!

 

[Amlee]

That's scary, Did your neice ever see Lucy again?

Lucy seemed to have become less and less after that. But she does remember having Lucy and can still tell you stories about her.

 

[Aidensmom]

My 4 year old has an imaginary friend, he says it is his guardian angel. He has given us all kinds of details about her too, and we hear him having a "conversation" with her quite often. He even runs through the house playing "chase" with her, and I have seen him trying to measure how tall she is up against the wall.

I've often wondered if there is some kind of supernatural connection too.

 

[tigercat]

My dgrdd had a couple of "friends". One was constant and went everywhere we went. The other seemed to be able to go other places. Sometimes we would be out in the car and I would get yelled at to open the window. I would open the window and the next thing my dgrdd would be yelling at her "friend" to jump into the car. She would then have her friend get a seat belt on. This "friend" also seemed to know how to make speggetti.
tigercat

 

[megan4777]

I had an imaginary friend (I can't spell her name so I'll write it out phonetically as best as I can) Die-ah-rune-ah. Yeah, her name was similar to what you run to the bathroom with when you're sick but not the exact word.
I don't know how long she was around but I remember playing with a stuffed ballerina doll and making believe it was her.

Anyway, I think that there's some sort of supernatural tie in to many imaginary friends. I don't think it's necessarily true for all of them but I think kids are so much more perceptive and open than adults to that.

 

[mommyceratops]

My DS (5) has an MANY imaginary friends...he calls them his imaginary friends I play along with him sometimes it is fine....

BTW they are FIGMENT Aladar (from Disney Dinosaurs) Scaler and Spyro (Nintendo) then there is our pet elephant Eddie, Our dog Gus and pets frogs, wolves and many others....

His teacher and doctor say it is normal...I chalk it up to too much Disney magic

 

[kristen821]

I have kept a journal type thing for my daughter sice she was born...once a week I sit at the computer and type out what we did that week, whats new with her, funny things she said or did , whats happening in school etc...I print up the pages every now and then just in case the computer crashes and put them in her memory box for her...when she gets older she can look back on everything we did from the time she was born...

this is a great idea!