The imaginary friend is a kind of alter ego of the child himself and can help him to express emotions, positive or negative, that he normally can not communicate.
As a child, playing is one of the main activities that helps to discover the world. Often, during childhood, children can have an imaginary friend. They play and talk to a person that no one can see. Actually, when children play, they use their imagination and imagination. For example, they talk to dolls or over the phone, even if they can't get any answers.
In most cases when the little ones have a fake friend there is no need to worry. It is one of many products of imagination, fantasy and creativity, and is usually not a wake-up call indicating the presence of some emotional deficiency or a more serious disorder. On the contrary, it is one of the many forms in which the child's creativity develops. In this way, the youngest create a tailor-made friend who does not discuss and acts as he wants, unlike parents or real friends.
The fake friend is also a kind of alter ego of the child and can help him to express emotions, positive or negative, that normally can not communicate. At the same time, the imaginary friend is a kind of superhero who comes to the aid when the child needs to feel protected, for example in the dark or in other situations he considers risky.
It is, therefore, a way of projecting one's fears and dealing with them creatively.
In the past, the presence of an imaginary friend in the imagination of children has been linked to a symptom of a lack of affection. In recent decades, however, it has been stressed that if the child has the ability to invent this character, to make him work as he wants and to have him under control, usually does not assume any symptoms of a disorder. For this reason, the presence of a fake friend can be one of the many stages of growth of the child who can better express his emotions and feel less afraid.
How should parents behave if their child has an imaginary friend?
We offer some useful tips to help you interact with your child's fake friend.
1. Don't tell your child that having imaginary friends is a sign of madness, otherwise he will believe that not everything is in order with him. Even if nothing wrong happens to your child, it's even more terrible. Also, do not ignore the emergence of the new Carlson, otherwise the child could isolate himself.
2. Do not restrain the children's imagination, but, on the contrary, ask if the girl Katia will object if you move the chair, which prevents you from entering the room. Do not resist if the child asks to put a plate on an imaginary friend or to widen a bed for him. Get involved in the game and practice your imagination.
3. At the same time, do not start the interaction with an invisible friend of the child. Do not ask your child if his friend will come with you to the store. Wait for the child to remember him and ask you to connect to the game.
4. Children should not be allowed to transfer responsibility for their misconduct to imaginary friends. Pre-school children should still be responsible for misconduct and it is your job to remember the consequences. Does the kid accuse Carlson of scattered toys? Ask to clean the room with him.
5. If the cause of this is loneliness, try spending more time with the child. So that an imaginary friend doesn't replace real friends and parents, he enjoys himself together: he wears superhero costumes, plays in a puppet theatre, read aloud adventure books and roles.
6. Illusory companions will come to your aid if you want to find out how your son really feels. If an invisible friend is afraid of the dark, it is probably the child who feels this fear. However, very often children go out with these friends for fun.
Therefore, the occurrence of imaginary friends in children under the age of six its absolute normal.
If your child has a fake friend, don't be afraid. In most cases, this situation is positive for children. For this reason, do not forbid the child to talk to this invented character. On the contrary, try to listen to his conversations to understand him better.