• I love my kids. Even when they do something that I perceive as strange. I don’t recall ever having an imaginary friend growing up, so the fact that my daughter has a slew of them is sort of bizarre to me. I mean, as an adult, if I were to talk to imaginary people, wouldn’t I be put on medication at the very least?

    Much to my relief, having an imaginary friend is actually looked upon as not only normal, but in fact a sign of intelligence.

    At my daughter’s most recent well check up I asked the pediatrician for the low down on all things imaginary. I admit I was scared she was going to tell me to get my daughter counseling. Or at the very least, send me to a shrink. I kid. Much to my relief, having an imaginary friend is actually looked upon as not only normal, but in fact a sign of intelligence. (What not having an imaginary friend growing up says about my lack of intelligence I will not consider). According to our doctor, it is a sign that her imagination is flourishing. It’s proof that she is creative.

    Sometimes kids use imaginary friends to help them cope with scary situations, or things that they don’t understand. Things like going to the dentist. She does not blame things on her imaginary friends, or tell me stories about how they cause her trouble of any sort. To the contrary, her friends just play with her and seem to add a great deal of creativity to her life. She is old enough to skip naps, but has a daily “quiet time.” Her imaginary friends just join her during this time for elaborate games of fairies, princesses, you get the idea. I’m quite relieved to hear that she is completely normal, and doing things that lots of other kids are doing as well. But I won’t lie, I will be slightly excited and internally relieved when she out grows these friends.