The world of make believe…

When I was little I had an imaginary friend. At least that's what everyone tells me. Apparently his name was Sampie. Sampie! Why in the world would I have an imaginary friend and name him Sampie!?!? It really is weird and wonderful :-)

I have been watching quite a bit of Charlie & Lola lately. It is a story of characters created by Author Lauren Child. It was originally a series of story books which later became a television series. Many of the story lines are relevant and I can relate to them. Secretly I have even become quite enthused and captivated by Charlie and his little sister Lola and their friends. Lola is quite an imaginative and creative girl and like me when I was a child, Lola also has an imaginary friend - Soren Lorenson.

So why do kids have imaginary friends? Is it because they are possessed by demons; they're lonely or a bit on the barmy side? No, not all! As a matter of fact, I did some reading and there are a few reasons why kids have imaginary friends. These invisible friends allow toddlers to explore a fantasy world. Studies have also shown that toddlers with imaginary friends are more imaginative and could possibly grow up to be quite creative and artistic people. Although there really is very little difference between kids with and kids without imaginary friends….apart from the special "friend" of course.

So why do they have these made-up, invisible friends:

• To have someone to listen to them and support them
  
• To have someone to do something at least virtually which they themselves cannot do it in real
  
• To have someone who is very special and belong only to them
  
• To have someone who do not judge them or find fault with them
  
• To have someone to spend time with them and play with them
  

Imaginary friends can come in any form – male, female, young, old or even an animal or a character of story or cartoon. It is common between the ages of 2 and 4 and is completely normal as long as it does not interfere with the normal life of the child. According to American Academy of Pediatrics, imaginary friends and make believe play can be a creative way for the toddlers to try out various behaviors and emotions, having conversations and sampling different activities.

Based on his study of creative play in preschoolers, Yale professor emeritus of psychology Jerome Singer with research scientist Dorothy Singer wrote, The House of Make-Believe: Children's Play and the Developing Imagination. The authors confirm that the imagination required to create make-believe friends "is not the exclusive property of the 'only' child, the isolated, the ill, or the handicapped." Children with make-believe friends tend to be more imaginative, have richer vocabularies, and are better able to entertain themselves. Singer also discovered that children with imaginary friends get along better with classmates. (Taken from an article on Psychology Today's site)

My daughter will be two soon and I wonder if she'll have a make-believe friend. I'm not too concerned though, it would be interesting to observe….