Imaginary Friends: What Every Parent Should Know

Childhood is a time for play and exploration, a time for making friends. Sometimes those friends live next door. Sometimes they live across the street. Sometimes they live in a child's mind.

Imaginary companions are commonly found among children. A 2001 study of 1800 school-age children found that 46.2 percent of children reported experiences with imaginary companions. So, should parents be alarmed to discover that their child's new friend is imaginary?

My son was three years old when he brought two new additions into our family - Tom and Jerry. (I'll give you two guesses as to what he was watching over at Grandma's house.) At first my wife and I thought it was cute, but as Tom and Jerry began to require plates at the dinner table and seats in the minivan, we became concerned that perhaps these imaginary friends were a sign that something might be wrong with our child.

As it turns out the creation of imaginary friends is a normal developmental stage for many children according to Laurie Schuler if the Akron Children's Hospital. Despite such statements, many parents worry that their child with imaginary friends may be considered odd, shy or troubled. Although imaginary companions may be disconcerting for parents the truth is much more positive -- and intriguing.

General Tendencies of Children With Imaginary Friends
Studies have shown that children with imaginary friends end to be less shy than children without imaginary friends. In addition, children with these friends are often better able to focus their attention and see things from other people's perspectives. The administrative director of pediatric psychology at Akron Children's Hospital, Dr. Georgette Constantinou, describes imaginary friends as being a normal way for a child to deal with problems in his own way as well as work on fears and insecurities.