Why Imaginary Friends May be the Best Friends

When I was young my grandma gave me an imaginary friend. When we were at her house, she would talk about George, her imaginary ghost friend. I wanted an imaginary ghost friend, too! She gave me George’s son, Harvey.

Harvey went home with me, and we did everything together. I was an only child and enjoyed having someone else to share my adventures with.

Imaginary friends will fill a void.

Whether you are an only child or just a shy child who doesn’t make friends easily, we all need friends. My daughter is an only child and she had THREE imaginary friends! She was very social.

Sometimes it’s difficult to make friends. You worry that another person will judge you or that you will open up to someone just to have them hurt you. Imaginary friends never do those things.

Imaginary friends give you someone with whom to adventure.

Harvey and I went on safari in my backyard. It was wonderful. He knew just what to do when the lion looked at us with hungry eyes.

He was also a little mischievous. When my dad would go to the bathroom during a commercial, Harvey would change the channel from his Western to a cartoon he and I wanted to watch. I never would have had the nerve to do that!

It did finally get him in a lot of trouble. One night he got up and went to my parents’ room and flipped the light off and on, repeatedly. My mom, who had to get up early to go to work, was not amused. She banished Harvey to the crawl space above the house, despite my heart-felt pleas.

Imaginary friends are friends forever.

As the years went on and I grew older, I thought of Harvey less often. He waited for me, though.

I went away to college, and one day I got a package from my mom. It appeared to be a box empty of all but a brief note. The note told of how Dad had gone up to put new insulation in the house and came across Harvey just sitting in the corner.

Mom thought I was old enough and it was high time I took care of him myself. She wished me luck keeping him out of trouble.

I looked in the box again, and there was Harvey! I laughed as the memories came flooding back.

Be understanding and supportive.

If your child comes home with an imaginary friend, just introduce yourself and offer them a chair. It doesn’t mean your child has lost it and will need years of therapy.

It may mean that your child has a vivid imagination or needs some practice relating to others. It may just mean that your child is shy and filling a void the only way she knows.

Be kind to the friend. Don’t sit on them. Set a place for them at the table.

And, in case your child needs to take a break from their mischievous friend, keep a box so you can send the friend to them in college!

If you enjoyed this post, click the heart so others will see it!