When I was wee I had an alter ego called "Skranna" (my own name being Anna). I'm not sure if she was named that by my mother or myself, but she was my naughty and cranky side. I have vivid memories of my mum stopping the car when I was throwing a tantrum, she'd open the door by me and tell me to throw Skranna out of the car. I'm also fairly certain I'd try to blame her for any naughty things I'd done. I'm at a point in life where my recall of childhood memories isn't great so my memories of her are fuzzy but I've had them retold to me plenty.
Our eldest has taken to telling us a "magic ghost" has been up to things and loves blaming it for anything she knows she shouldn't have done but thinks she can get away with. I assume that she thinks we believe in ghosts, as she at nearly 5 most certainly does. Mostly I find out exchanges about the ghost kind of funny like the one above, however there are times where it's been outright dangerous (i.e. when it tried to climb the bookcase or put something in the fire) and a serious talk is needed.
I, on the other hand, am apparently not allowed to make up stuff about the magic ghost. The other day Vanessa asked how something had ended up on a shelf high up in the bookcase. I pretended to be clueless and then said "it was the magic ghost, you must just have missed it!" - she was furious with me! Totally made up for any annoyance I do feel towards her for not just being honest about what she's done.
She's also got another imaginary friend who is largely based on a very real person in her life. The kids have an older half sister. Having a half sister of my own with about the same age difference as my kids have with theirs I am eternally grateful that they get the opportunity to spend time with her once in a while. I only met my sister for the first time at the age of nine so it's something that's close to my heart. Anyway, Vanessa idolises her big sister (I always considered my one my hero so I do not blame her at all!) but sadly only gets to see her a few times a year since we don't live near each other. Vanessa has however taken to telling us all sorts of made up things that she's done with her big sister or eaten at her house (where she's never been,). She's een shown how to do most things under the sun by her and you'll be amazed by the things her sister apparently owns, she must live in a castle to fit it all in!
For example, the other she went to a birthday party held at an ice skating rink. We showed her a video of ice skaters and she blew it off immediately saying her sister has already shown her at her house and she's got skates there. Most of the time it's funny AF, but sometimes I want to explode because I wish she wouldn't make so much stuff up. I KNOW her imagination is a great gift, I guess I just wish her imaginary friend wasn't based on a real person. It would make it easier to distinguish between her imaginary world and the real one then. Instead I find myself getting annoyed at her big sister (through no fault of her own) just because Vanessa makes stuff up about her at least twice every hour on average. My husband and I are at a point where we preempt it and on occasion are weirded out when she doesn't refer to her sister... Or that cheeky, magic ghost who keeps moving things it shouldn't about the house of course!
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| The magic ghost had apparently moved the books out of my newly tidied bookcase and onto the bed... |
Does your child have imaginary friends or blame things on others that couldn't possibly have done it? Our two older ones are terrible for blaming each other and the baby. Is it mainly funny or do you find lines get crossed too often?
Imagination is magic, I don't want these things to disappear from her head but sometimes I'd like a straight answer, I can't be the only mother out there wanting that... I have a feeling we'll have a lot of fun when she's a teenager trying to pull the wool over our eyes.
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