Monday, January 23, 2012

One of these things is not like the other....

This holiday season, when we would go look at Christmas lights around Richmond, we had an ongoing joke about our arrival back home.  Scott would say something like "Wow, look at this house!  It is sooooo cool.  These people must be really awesome."  And then the rest of us would comment on how great the family that lived there must be and how we should park in their driveway and go meet them.  In the midst of our comic routine, Josh would always remind us that it was just a joke and actually, we live in this house, not a strange family.  Thanks, kid.  I guess this is an important stage in child development...understanding real and make believe, right? 
The boys have decided to keep the storyline going through the winter and will often make up imaginary people that they will meet when we open the doors to our house.  They talk about the ages of the kids and what rooms the kids sleep in and what toys they will play with when they meet them. Sometimes they even pretend to talk to the other kids.  A little goofy, but all in good fun.
sidenote: I am also hoping this is a part of normal child development.  You know, imaginary play and creative story telling?  Right, that's exactly what it is.  I don't really need to call any child psychologists over to our house, right?  My kids are completely normal.  Yes, we will go with normal.  
So, here is where it gets a little weird.  The names for the imaginary kids often change.  Sometimes we will meet another "Danny", or a  "Josh", or a "Joseph", or (real) Danny's favorite "Roger".  The names usually are connected to a story we read in the bible or a book.  Sometimes it is names of (real) friends.  Pretty typical names....
Every kid has to have some imaginary friends, right?
And every kid names their imaginary friends, right?
Ok, so how many of your kids have an imaginary friend named Hot Fire Car?

(silence)  (awkward pause)

Any one got the number of a good child psychologist?  I have a 3 year old that he/she might need to meet.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have a 4 yr old and an 21 month old. Though the imaginary friends rarely stayed more than a day or two, they've had some doozies for names. The only one I can remember at the moment was a yak named G. Gordon Glassy, but they have often been vehicles as well. Also, I worked for a guy once whose then 3 year old daughter wanted to name her baby brother, Baby Rocket Ship. :-)

Wouldn't the world be more interesting if people really had names like that?

The Gaymons said...

So funny! Yes....completely normal...at least that is what this mommy is telling herself, too!

Nana said...

Did you check out the cars that Josh got while visiting Max and Nana this weekend?? Makes perfect sense to me!