Imagine That
I walk into the room and my five year old daughter is talking in an otherwise empty room.
Me: Who are you talking to?
Daughter (bashfully): No one.
Me: Do you have an imaginary friend?
Daughter: Um…
She always says “Um…” when she wants an explanation but doesn’t want to admit that she doesn’t know what’s going on or if she can’t understand why things are just that way. I don’t know where she gets it from.
Me: An imaginary friend is someone only you can see or hear. It’s OK to have one - it’s what’s good about being a kid.
(Not so much as an adult, eh Winston?)
Daughter: Well, I wish I had a real ‘maginary friend.
Me: Well why don’t you have one?
Daughter (sadly): I’ve only got a pretend one.
Me: Well there you go.
Daughter: But he’s not a real ‘maginary friend.
Me: Well, what’s their name?
Daughter: I don’t know daddy, they’re not real.
Me: Um…
Daughter, 5: I wish I had a proper ‘maginary friend.
June 12th, 2007 at 7:43 am
Oh , My.
June 12th, 2007 at 7:52 am
should a grown man find that as moving as I did?
June 12th, 2007 at 1:46 pm
Having an imaginary friend is a sign of a high IQ. Or so Mr Squiggly says.
June 12th, 2007 at 2:29 pm
Hang on. Winston Squiggly?
June 12th, 2007 at 3:15 pm
That is lovely, Cliff. I hope she names her imaginary friend even if he’s not proper. They are the best ones.
June 12th, 2007 at 9:14 pm
No way! We are talking about the same imaginary guy, right? Winston J Arthur Squiggly?
June 13th, 2007 at 8:07 am
I saw that.
June 13th, 2007 at 5:40 pm
I never had an imaginary friend. I never had any real friends, either, which is a sign of a sociopathic psychofreak in the making. Luckily I turned out alright, or so my social worker says.