I came upon a conversation with a coworker of mine today. We began talking about her children. Her youngest son is five years old, and has an imaginary friend. The mother actually thought it was too weird for her, since her other two children did not have imaginary friends when they were the same age. In conclusion, she ended up deciding to take her son to a psychologist. My reaction was "WHAT!?"

Honestly, it is NORMAL for a child that young (or old, I forget what is the normal age span of having an imaginary friend) to have an imaginary friend. I know I had one when I was five years old, and I am sure my sister & brother have had one too. It more of a comfort than a bothersome, at least to me. It was very hard for me to fit into school, since I was among the first deaf child to be fully mainstreamed in a Brevard County school. As a subconscious result, I created a friend that I thought I would always be friends with for a long time. Of course, by the next year or so, I was pretty much grown out of imaginary friends.

But still...it's important for a child to have one. He/she can bare the souls that have been bothering them, and they can really feel included or not so much alone as they usually feel. In addition, I think it adds more creativity to the young, unmolded minds. You can come up with great new games, stories, and other fun activities for a child to have. It's good for them.

Fortunately, the mother of the child told me that the psychiatrist analyzing the child said he was perfectly normal and that having an imaginary friend makes him feel much more accepted than at home. Okay, maybe that sounded bad, but I think it is normal because when you have a family with siblings, one is meant to feel left out. I know I did...

But with all due respect, if your child is young and has an imaginary friend, let him/her have one. It may seem delusional at first, but it is perfectly normal, and they will grow out of it sooner or later. Now, if your child is 23, and talks to himself constantly as if he had an imaginary friend, then it's possible he is schizophrenic or suffering from another form of delusional disorders. But please, do not let your child feel that it is wrong to have a best friend, whether if they are real or not.



In addition to the conversation, I told her to rent "Drop Dead Fred," a comedy about a career woman whose life was blowing up in all sorts of places and brings back her imaginary friend, Fred, to cheer her up, but tries to teach him the meaning of adulthood. It is quite an interesting film. But more importantly, it shows how important imaginary friends are to children.

So don't send your child off for prozac or ritalin if he has an imaginary friend...it's perfectly normal and they will grow out of it. :)