Are so-called ‘imaginary friends’ truly imaginary, or could some children be connected with counterparts from another world?
Although I do not recall having an imaginary friend as a child, I know many families whose children have experienced this phenomenon. When my daughter was three, she occasionally seemed to see something or someone, and I remember her slowly backing away from it. I never told her there was nothing there; instead, I always hugged her, diffused the situation, and made her laugh. However, this does not compare to the remarkable stories I’ve heard of children having detailed experiences with imaginary friends they named and described in great detail.
I am not a child psychologist, so I cannot speak to the science behind these experiences, but I am eager to learn more. I also believe that not all such experiences are necessarily other-worldly; children possess incredible imaginations. With impartial scrutiny, it might be easier to determine the nature of these experiences, though even then, we are still learning about ourselves and the world around us.
Should we be concerned about our children’s imaginary friends? If there is no harm resulting from these interactions, perhaps it is best to allow children to go through this process and eventually outgrow it. Whether these experiences are psychological, paranormal, or emotional, they seem to serve a purpose; whatever that may be.
