Gordon

So Jack has an imaginary friend. His name is Gordon. It absolutely cracks me up. We hear at least once a day about Gordon. Yesterday, Jack got a juice box out for Gordon. He also told me Gordon lived in the house on the other side of our fence. Apparently Gordon has moved because a few weeks ago Jack told me Gordon lived in California. Jack will often tell us Gordon is going to be wherever we are going. Jack will come up with complete stories about what he does with Gordon. While this is incredibly cute, I did wonder if imaginary friends actually serve a psychological or developmental purpose for children. I was pleased to find that children with imaginary friends tend to develop language skills and retain knowledge faster than children without these pretend pals. They also help children to develop coping skills because they provide children with a "confidant" to talk over problems with and share feelings. Perhaps my favorite opinion I read on imaginary friends was they they are simply fun for chldren in that full-of-imagination and the world-can-be-however-I-want-it-to-be way. I like to think that Gordon provides Jack with a sense of fun and allows him to enjoy the world on his own terms. Far too soon he will realize that the world is full of moments that are not what he wants them to be. Thanks, Gordon, for making my little guy happy! I owe you one!