Metoes

My kids have amazing imaginations. One example is the fact that they’ll put on a fireworks show. The show entails My 4 year old swinging around a measuring tape making explosion sounds while his sister asks the van full of Peppa Pig and Paw Patrol toys if anyone has to go to the bathroom. The first time I heard the commotion from the other room I was perplexed beyond my wildest dreams. Kids in general seem to be able to take ordinary situations and events and replay them over and over and over and over and over and over and over. There’s been many times when I’ve been utterly confused about what was happening only to find out it’s was something ridiculous and amazing that they were making up.

Similarly, Alaina and I overheard Jude ask if someone wanted their mail the other day. We listened closely to the conversation. There was only voice to be heard though, one small, nasally voice.

“Oh yes, Metoes has a lot of mail.”

“Who?” Alaina asked.

“Metoes” he said, “he gets a lot of mail.”

After the confusion left, Alaina and I realized that Jude has an imaginary friend. We understand that imaginary friends are an aspect of child hood but we were also unsure if it was OK. Writing  this out, I realize how asinine it might sound, but we were worried that we were raising a sociopath that makes shit up.

Luckily for us, we have a psychologist friend and access to google. What we’ve found is that having an imaginary friend is completely normal. And honestly with Jude, it makes sense. He’s highly creative, always making up crazy situations. He just seems to live to create. There is no medium that is safe from his mind.

Instead of worrying about Metoes, we’ve decided to take an interest in him. After all, what’s important to Jude is important to us. What we’ve discovered about Metoes is the following:

1. His name is pronounced “ME-TOES.”
2. He’s not so much an imaginary friend as he is an imaginary acquaintance.
3. He was 36 the first time we asked his age, in his 40s the second time and most recently was as old as “thirty ten”
4. Metoes and Jude work together…at “Tonto’s”…Jude has also created a box store that sells anything an individual could ever want to buy.
5. Metoes has a beard, brown hair and looks like me.
6. Metoes has a big toolbox.
7. Everyday Jude calls Metoes to talk about his face.
8. Metoes receives and sends a lot of mail. Mainly birthday cards.

Here’s the lesson for the week, listen to your child. Watch them and all the crazy shit they do because it is absolutely mind bending and amazing what they can think up. Don’t worry if they have an imaginary friend. Show interest in the friend, it shows your kid that your into them and the world they’ve created. After all, with a toddler, it’s their world, we just live in it.

 -AF

Did you have an imaginary friend as a kid? Does your child have one now?