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Imaginary friend

(79 Posts)
TrendyNannie6 Sun 05-Jan-20 18:00:47

Did any of your children grandchildren have an imaginary friend, my daughter did age 2 to approx 4 we had to set table for him, she used to talk away to this person, we had to be careful we didn’t sit on him, never really got to the bottom of it, who he was I can’t remember his name but he was very real to her

phoenix Sun 05-Jan-20 18:07:02

Yes, for a (thankfully) short time, DS2 had one called "Onion" confused

NanKate Sun 05-Jan-20 18:34:21

Yes my sister had one for ages. None in the family had a problem with it.

Sara65 Sun 05-Jan-20 18:37:34

I had one myself called Willy. We once had to walk back into town because I’d left him in the greengrocers.

Chewbacca Sun 05-Jan-20 18:43:03

DS had an imaginary friend called Martha, when he was around 3 or 4 years old. He was able to describe her in great detail; what she looked like, her hair, whereabouts in the garden she lived and why she lived on her own etc. One of his "real life" friends used to come to play and he "saw" her and spoke about her too! I quite missed Martha when she went away!

Lucylastic Sun 05-Jan-20 18:46:12

My mother told me I had an imaginary friend called Marjorie when I was about aged two or three.
I insisted on her having an ice cream when we went to the park and I used to squeeze into one side of my push chair to make room for her.
She seemed to disappear when Dad brought home a puppy.

annodomini Sun 05-Jan-20 18:56:32

I had an imaginary friend called Gretchen - who knows where I got that name! She lived in my granny's big kitchen range. I can't remember when she disappeared but it must have been when I went to a little kindergarten run by the minister's wife in the big front room of the manse.

Sara65 Sun 05-Jan-20 19:01:32

I think my friend Willy was loosely based on Willy Woodentop.

I’m sure my mother must have been mortified, she probably thought I was a bit “simple”

BradfordLass72 Sun 05-Jan-20 19:02:03

My son had one as well, although for many reasons I came to doubt he was imaginary.

MissAdventure Sun 05-Jan-20 19:05:39

Ooh err! BradfordLass

TrendyNannie6 Sun 05-Jan-20 19:12:59

That’s interesting BradfordLass I’m not surprised though

Oopsminty Sun 05-Jan-20 19:17:30

I had an imaginary brother called Keith. I told people about him. Friends at school. Got very angry when I was told he didn't exist

M0nica Sun 05-Jan-20 19:30:16

I had several imaginary friends when I was between the ages of about 2 - 6. Only ever one at a time.

Jane10 Sun 05-Jan-20 19:30:28

I actually was an imaginary person. I was a lady called Mrs Green and told the family all about my life and problems with my 15 bairns. My parents just ran with it and gradually I went back to being my 7 year old self as Jane10 junior.
I'd forgotten that until I read this thread. confused

Missfoodlove Sun 05-Jan-20 19:33:38

My son had an imaginary puppy. At first it was amusing, eventually tiresome.
Lasted a few weeks.

vampirequeen Sun 05-Jan-20 20:09:27

DGD had an imaginary friend when she was 2/3. She was called Annie and was a grown up. For a long while we thought she was a nursery nurse at the day care DGD went to. We were surprised to find out that she didn't exist because the things DGD talked about sounded so real. She could describe Annie and said that she wasn't able to be there all the time because she had to go to work in a big house. We just got on with it but then one day it turned really spooky. DD had taken DGD into town and they were walking past some big Georgian houses...the type with basement kitchens. DGD stopped at one and started to look through the iron railings into the basement. DD asked what she was doing and DGD excitedly said that she was looking for Annie because this was the big house that she lived and worked in. Eventually Annie faded as DGD got older but the spookiness stayed with us.

gillybob Sun 05-Jan-20 21:07:17

Oh I’ve just posted about my imaginary friend on the “earlies memories” thread TrendyNannie6

I had a Mrs Kershaw (no one knew anyone of that name) . She was middle aged (old to me) and wore a tweed skirt, soft jumper and pearls. She always carried a large handbag . I talked to her constantly and always met her on the stairs at my grandmas house where she would just appear . I remember my dear grandad saying “excuse me” to her as he passed by to visit the bathroom . Sometimes she would stay with me for days and others just for a short visit. When my sister was christened she came to the church with us and had to have a special place on the pew beside me. I think my parents were very embarrassed but my grandma and grandad just played along. One day I went to my grandmas and sat for ages on the stairs and she never came . I was broken hearted but my grandma said “she had gone to visit her own granddaughter in Africa” and I just accepted it .

I can even remember her voice and smell like she was still here with me. sad

Gagagran Sun 05-Jan-20 21:29:32

DS had an imaginary sheepdog called Muss and DD had an imaginary husband called Sailor Bill who used to disappear back to sea periodically.

When he was about 4, DS also used to tell us that he used to be a knight before he was a little boy!. Reincarnation? Previous lives? Who knows?

Nannytopsy Sun 05-Jan-20 21:30:25

My imaginary friend was Jennifer. I don’t know when she left me ?

MiniMoon Sun 05-Jan-20 21:40:22

My sister had an imaginative friend called Tommy. He went everywhere with her. He came to our house for his meals, but he didn't live in the house.
When she was about 5, my mother noticed that Tommy hadn't been spoken about for a while so she asked my sister where he was. Her reply was that he'd gone to live with his grandma in a nearby town.

SueDonim Mon 06-Jan-20 00:14:03

One of my dds had multiple imaginary friends. It was v awkward when we were out and about as doors had to held open for all of them to go through. I remember her telling me off in a shop once - ‘You’ve just shut the door in Joe’s face!’ confused grin They also had to have places at the table and so on.

Pantglas2 Mon 06-Jan-20 05:32:45

I always imagined a twin sister probably because I had pesky brothers! We’d play with dolls, read and choose what to wear and whenever I was naughty and sent to my room, it never bothered me, as I’d sit and chat with her, plotting to run away!

Still feel as if I’m missing something sometimes - probably time I grew out of it!

absent Mon 06-Jan-20 06:02:24

I had two imaginary friends when I was very young. One, who was called Fairy, was very naughty, and the other, who was very good, was called Charlotte. There's Freudian! I didn't allow either of them to impinge on family life, although I think I sometimes talked about them, but it didn't seem to worry my parents They faded into the ether but I later pretended that I had a little sister – not quite the same as an imaginary friend – but she fulfilled some of my emotional needs with an older sister, older cousins, there being no nursery schools for littles and no contact with contemporaries when I was a pre-schooler. I grew out of it when I went to school aged four and have imaginary friends only my dreams these days.

Marelli Mon 06-Jan-20 06:35:43

My DGD had an imaginary friend called Tom, whom she used to talk to on the stairs. 'Tom' seemed to be around regularly until she was about 7 or 8.

BlueSapphire Mon 06-Jan-20 07:01:02

DD when she was about 3 or 4 had an imaginary horse called Marina, who had to come with us wherever we went, and DD would hold her reins. Marina would just gallop everywhere, so everything was done at top speed.