We lived with a tiger on the front door mat which I presumed dealt with some hidden fear which my first child had. My second had two imaginary friends, Good Bingo and Bad Bingo and while he never was naughty, Bad Bingo got up to all sorts. Our youngest had autistic tendencies and was unable to fantasise and never had an imaginary friend at all.

I had a 'twin' brother who was, I suppose with hindsight, my alter ego. My very best friend (1 of 3 girls) also had a phantom brother and the four of us would play together often, until we were 10/11 when they just faded away.

Years later my Mother casually mentioned that I should have been a twin (born with 2 afterbirths)..........

Maybe they are not imaginary...simple... children see things that we do not see....

I had three imaginary friends, all small boys, they would visit and play every afternoon, I was an only child. I described them in detail to mum, years later she told me it quite spooked her as I described their clothing as typically Victorian upper class, at age 3 I didn't know a lot about the Victorians! My favourite was Gilbert who wore a green velvet suit, white gators and shoes with big silver buckles. When I was 5 we moved and I left my dear companions behind. It was a very old early Victorian property and I often wonder?

That is lovely Nellie and I can almost hear her saying that too!

My daughter had a n imaginary companion called her "Dublims" (Dublin was in the news a lot) and I think the name arose from her catching comments from us listening into the radio at the begining of the Northern Ireland Troubles.

For a while the "Dublims" appeared to be blamed by DD for many of her misdemeanors. In the end she made a very apt comment "My Dublims don't come very often as I am quite good now"
She is now a perfectly upstanding member of society.

PS There is one consolation that we have though - DGS is no longer the last person to finish his meal!

DH had an imaginary friend when he was little as does DGC2 at present. It is very cute but tends to make meal times very long!

My three year old daughter suddenly started talking about and to an imaginary friend called Jackson. Strange thing was none of us had any idea where the name had come from, it went on for quite a long time I even found my self acting as if Jackson was real saying things like is Jackson coming with us. She's 34 now and still remembers Jackson with a smile.

I had an imaginary friend called Lulu, she lasted for a few months and I had a few imaginary pets, a lamb, a poodle and several horses. It was just fun and something of my own where toys were given by adults and supervised my imaginary people were mine only, my own little world. I'm like that now but instead of imaginary friends I read books to escape.

My middle child had 3 wolves ( John Eater, John Biter, and Robber Eater). We became used to having them as travelling companions.
A child psychologist colleague told me it was his way of dealing with a fear of wolves.

My youngest son had an imaginary friend called 'little Johnny'. One day I could hear him in the bedroom talking away to someone so I crept up the stairs. He was sat playing on the floor with his cars. Now and again he would ask or answer questions from 'little Johnny' and if I didn't know better I would have sworn he was sitting there. He tailed off as my son got older. I think it is an active imagination and a bit of loneliness thrown in that makes children create these little friends who seem real to them.....or maybe they really can see what we can't!

I had an imaginary friend called Margaret Light ('Light' because you couldn't see her!). I was an only child till I was 5 and we used to play together a lot. I remember causing a disturbance on a bus because someone sat on Margaret My mother was very embarrassed.

Do you remember the film 'Bogus' with Whoopi Goldberg looking after a little boy and Gerard Depardieu as his imaginary friend?

I can't remember exactly when Margaret left but I found out in later years that when my sister was born she was given the name to make my friend real ...

DD1 had an imaginary friend called Mincey Pie who appeared, not at this time of year, but the summer she started playschool. I assumed she needed a 'friend'' to keep her company in a new situation.

I had an invisible friend called David when I was about 4 and he had to sit next to me at table. My Mum made me a rag doll and told me it was David and that was the end of the imaginary friend.

My DS had an invisible sheepdog called Muss who was a constant companion and slept on his bed every night. He just gradually faded away as DS got older.

DD had an imaginary husband called Bill who was a sailor and not often home from the sea but was quoted a lot! Especially if she didn't want to do something - "Bill says......."

I've always thought that it was a normal part of children growing up and making sense of their world and certainly not a cause for concern.

Eldest son had an invisible friend called Mammy , she was an old lady with cobwebs ! I never included Mammy or asked about her . When he started school he said she had been to the school gates to say goodbye , she was moving on and he never mentioned her again . I think he was a bit lonely and found it hard to make friends , none of my other children had these kind of `friends` thank goodness .

My ED had an invisible duck! It used to follow us in the car when we were going on holiday. She used to tell her dad to slow down so he could catch up with us. We just let it play out and by the time she was 18, he had flown onto someone else!

My daughter had a friend, he had his chair at the table and a place setting was laid for him, he came everywhere with us, to the shops, out for a walk and even on holiday. Then one day he just went, gone were the words used and my daughter took to wearing a red bobble cap all the time and riding an invisible horse when went out. I have family photos of her in her bathing suit, making sand castles and wearing this blasted hat. Lasted just over a year.

My DGD (now aged 17) had an invisible friend when much younger. I recently asked her what became of 'Kelly' and she airily said that she had died a few years ago and then went back to putting her mascara on.

I don't think there is any harm in these fantasies.

I totally blame myself for my son's imaginary friends. It was years ago when the song "Right said Fred" was popular. Son was between 2-3 and on lifting him out of the bath I jokingly said, Right then Fred, and low and behold Fred + Bobby were born!! From then on it was Fred says this or Bobby did that. I think it finished when he had a baby sister a couple of years later. We just used to go along with it, cute while it lasted.

Read "Chocky" by John Wyndham.

How do you know they were not spirit children??.

Just the one imaginary friend? One of my children had several! They required (imaginary) places at the table and had to have doors of shops held open for them all to troop though, while I stood there getting some strange looks from passers-by.

Coincidentally, I am reading a book about a little boy who has an invisible friend, the Gypsy Madonna, but I think the invisible friend may have just disappeared along with the little boy's anxieties.

I had an invisible friend for a while, as far as I remember my mother was ill and I was sent to stay with a childless aunt.
I was allowed to wander all around the town on my own, age 7, but I had my elephant with me on a lead; he was only about the size of a very large dog but I suppose he must have been a comfort at the time.