Let me introduce you to my son and his buddy, Marvin.
See him there in the passenger seat? Me neither.
I don’t know where Marvin came from, the person or the name, but he’s pretty entertaining.
Marvin likes donuts. And pizza. Marvin likes to take off running to the toy section at Target. Marvin doesn’t like to eat what I make for dinner. Marvin likes to make messes and not clean them up. Marvin doesn’t always listen or do what my son wants to do. Marvin is a stinker.
I don’t think I ever had an imaginary friend. My youngest sister had Barney (who wasn’t a dinosaur) but I don’t remember much about his involvement in our lives. I do remember when Chrissy Seaver on “Growing Pains” had the imaginary mouse friend, Ike. Since Marvin has entered our lives, I have done a lot of reading up on these friends!
A few reassuring factoids (pulled from the research of Marjorie Taylor, Jerome Singer, and Dorothy Singer):
- 65% of children have imaginary friends
- 77% of these children knew that their friend was pretend
- children with imaginary companions “tend to be less shy, engage in more laughing and smiling with peers, and do better at tasks involving imagining how someone else might think.” They “tend to be more imaginative, have richer vocabularies, and are better able to entertain themselves… [and] get along better with classmates.”
- Dr. Spock advised in the 40s-70s that children who created companions needed more time with other children or help in getting along with them, but current research doesn’t support this.
- In fact, older children, only children, and children who watch little TV are most likely to have imaginary companions, thanks to the opportunity to engage in creative play. And often parents will learn of imaginary friends after the birth of a second child, a time when the older child receives less parental attention.
I don’t mind if Marvin sticks around for a little while- he is actually quite helpful! I think he provides a lot of insight into my son’s sweet little mind 🙂
Have your children created imaginary friends? Do they provide entertainment or stress at your house?
