HAVING IMAGINARY FRIENDS is his way of getting over the loneliness a child experiences. Another reason for having an imaginary friend is that he knows this friend will accept his thoughts and ideas.
There is this little boy named Clint who has enrolled to learn swimming at the club I coach in. He is 6 years old, full of life and very scared of water! Coaching him is a terrible pain, but I love to do so, as I have noticed that he keeps talking to someone, and its not me! I feel he has an imaginary friend!
People do talk about them existing for real, and some say that each child has one, but forgets about it as they grow older. As for me, I can’t recollect my tryst with an imaginary friend, one who is mine and mine alone, one who never leaves my side, is there for me through thick and thin, invisible to one and all!
Clint, however, I am sure has one. While in the pool, he keeps talking to someone, splashing water and laughing hysterically! He would rather be left alone, as he does not enjoy my company, I reckon. He is happiest when he is alone, or, as his mom says, with a girl called Jasmine. They keep talking amongst themselves, and with other people, chiding them, ridiculing them, and often trying to hit them. There is just one slight problem. There is no one around but the two!
The concerned mother recalls her visit to a doc, where she wanted to voice her concerns. The doc had this to say, “All of us, till a certain age, have imaginary friends! We forget about them, as we grow older and our thoughts get muddled due to the complexities of life. It is absolutely normal, and would vanish one day.”
Coming back to Clint, one day, while trying to teach him to hold his breath; he felt the need to answer nature’s call. I had to accompany him to the toilet, as once, when he went to the toilet unsupervised; he had tried to escape from the club! While holding his hand and observing his actions, which I admit were fun to do, he suddenly tripped! There wasn’t an object in sight, neither did he lose his balance, nor did anyone push him! Well, at least not someone I could see! He got up, brushed himself and took off behind ‘someone’ with his slippers!
That got me thinking, why is it that children trip, laugh, cry or do silly little things for no apparent reason? Ever wondered what goes through their developing mind? Do imaginary people really exist?
But I would also add that, children have a hard time expressing themselves because they do not know how people will react to them, but their imaginary friends will always react in a positive manner. However, if your child prefers to play with his imaginary friend when he has the option to play with other real friends, you should definitely look into the matter.
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