Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion Another imagination/imaginary friend question

oooh that's so sad Trillium!!! Little man (3.5) has loads of imaginary friends - Minnie, your stories cracked me up b/c they're as out there as little man's! My sister-in-law insists i should write a kids book based on all of his characters and their various and sundry adventures. I just can't keep up! They're hysterical! the best part is many are in part based on stuffed animals - so they are sometimes tied to the physicality of the stuffed animal, and sometimes have a world unto their own.

The stories keep us in stitches most meals. The adventures! the travels! the intricate family webs! They all live in alternate universes known as "my new york" or other such places. A recent favorite, one of the friends went to Leon, Mexico to tame lions for vacation. (big man's (7) love of geography tends to color little man's locales quite a bit... ) ;-)

like someone else said - treasure it! i will be so sad the day these friends dissappear!
(Mam - find it funny, we're also a bilingual household and some of the friends / family are clearly spanish speakers while others are clearly english speakers too....)

DS has had a host of 'brothers' and 'sisters' - he's an only child, we thought they had all disappeared until a few weeks ago when he wrote out his father's day card... love from your son JD and daughter Fern. (I think she is from Charlotte's web and is obviously hanging around still).

DD3 has started in on this a couple months back, yesterday she bounced into our bedroom and was chattering about all the itty bitty people that live in the house. (I wonder what she's imagining, I thought imaginary friends were mostly regular sized?)

Anyhow, it certainly is entertaining. She adds details when she wants to but usually direct questions from me don't result in much more info...very curious indeed.

Thanks for the tidbits. It makes sense and definitely explains my DD. She was/is a very verbal kid and has been since 3 months old and she is an only child. She, too, has problems connecting with kids her own age or even a little older. Her imaginary friends are abundant but mostly they are taken from books she reads or animals: real or stuffed. She has forever changed her voice for the IF when in a conversation with them.

I had to smile when reading about the time bending; great imagination there Seablue. And you should definitely enroll her in the art, theater and dance program. I suspect she will love it.

What a considerate IF to sign the birthday card! Gee, that Fern is so thoughtful! LOL

How do I trade in DD3s trouble-making friends for the kind, considerate ones? I would love a bday card from an IF. What a sweatheart your son is.

DS7.5 had 2 imaginary friends when he was about 18mo until he was 4 or so. Buttcake (we started calling him B.C. for obvious reasons, lol) and Dommer. B.C. used to teach him songs and right around 2.5 when his baby brother was getting mobile, he learned a song that went "Because it's *MINE* and it's NOT yours, but it *IS* mine!"- sung with an adorable sing song-y voice.

Dommer and B.C. were cousins and they went on all sorts of adventures together. When DS5 was old enough, around 2 maybe, he adopted them, too. I used to joke that it was so sad that everything he owned was a hand-me-down, even his imaginary friends, lol. Last I heard they had moved to another planet that they found when they were out in their space ship.

Somehow DD3 has never had an imaginary friend. I think her brothers keep her busy enough that she just doesn't have time. She's also just very logical and I don't think it would occur to her to make up a whole pretend person.

DS7 had an imaginary cousin a couple years ago. His name was George, and he lived in Washington. Or Peru. Or quite a few other places, I guess he moved a lot. I had forgotten about him!

Oh he is a sweetheart which makes me think he would have been a great big brother and what a shame he'll never experience that - the same as being half way round the world he doesn't see his cousins either and why it breaks my heart that he is so lonely at school because I know given the chance he would be a great friend to have. At least he gets heaps of love from all the grownups in his life (and of course Fern )

I was reading this earlier and thinking Ds (just turned 4 last week) was too much like me to have IFs. I was too 'left brain', I think, to have an IF.

He walked up to me later with his little hands cupped together and says "here, hold my baby". His name is Boy. Not very creative. Maybe he just hasn't thought of one yet. The baby is sleeping on the ottoman in his room. I don't think my DH knows what to think of it. He sat on the IF baby tonight so, I think I am going to have to have a talk with him.


Isn't that weird? It was not an hour or two after reading this!


Ugh, forgive my grammar, I can hardly type. I better get to bed. Zzzzzzzzzz