He just brought them up in conversation one day while wondering how something happened, "Oh my friend ghosts must have moved it!" Between my husband and I, he's mentioned them enough times that we realized Orange Juice the ghosts may be hanging around for a while. Lately, if he can't find something he says it was them. I asked him the other day why I can't see them, "They are camouflaged." I haven't seen him "play" with these friends, he just talks about them and I listen.
I read an article a while back that I recall mentioning that some children create imaginary friends around times of a significant change in their life, such as the arrival of a baby, which we happen to be on the verge of. I don't know how significant this pair of friends will become, so I'd like to learn more about this type of make-believe play. I know I have the Internet at my disposal, but I'd like to know if any one has a good book or other resource they'd personally recommend on the topic?
I don't have any good books or resources other than myself. I had an imaginary friend when I was a kid, 4-5 years old, somewhere in there. His name was Jim Fowler and he looked just like the Jim Fowler on Wild Kingdom, assistant to Marlin Perkins, but he wasn't actually Jim Fowler. He was my assistant, though. "Playing" with him wasn't so much playing "with him" as it was having "someone" to direct ideas towards, then, someone to reference later when I'd recount the story to my family. He was a presence when I didn't have other kids to play with, which was quite often as I was an only child. Although, my mom and grandmother would recount hearing me speaking to him when I'd be in my room playing with my toys. I don't remember any precipitous event that brought Jim into my life. Oh, also I had "the gang", which was a group of kids that played with Jim and me. They were a large group of children that showed up for our adventures. So, for me, it was never a thing like you see in the movies or tv where the kid says "Don't stand there. You're standing on Jim." Real people were always more entertaining and Jim was never "in the room" with them. He was a figment that made my stories more fun to tell. And yet, at the same time I really believed in him. He was my friend. I have no idea if this is typical or not, but there you go! Hope it helps. Peace, Anthony+
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