Back in 1974, our daughter Trica was two and she watched two television shows everyday, Sesame Street with me and Gilligans Island with her Father. Everyday before Far Guy left for his night shift job at Steiger Tractor they had some quiet time together and would snuggle up in the big old burgundy rocking chair and watch the antics of the castaways.
One day Trica did something inappropriate...and promptly blamed it on "Gilligan." She started talking to Gilligan, she could carry on a entire conversation with her imaginary friend. Gilligan got out all of the toys and never put them back in the toy box. Gilligan played with the water in the bathroom, drenching everything in sight. Gilligan colored on the white walls...Gilligan was a troublemaker.
Trica would look at me so innocently, blue eyes sparkling and declare "Gilligan did it" and smile. What is a mother to do? I tried my best to just ignore Gilligan, sometimes it was really hard, I wanted to put him up for adoption, yes I wanted to do anything I could to rid myself of my childs imaginary friend..what kind of a Mother lets her child's imaginary friend drive her nuts anyway?
Gilligan lived with us for about three years, when her baby sister Jennifer got old enough to communicate, Gilligan slowly disappeared..probably back to his trouble making island. She was no longer an only child with the need for an imaginary friend to blame things on, she now had her very own sister:)
My daughter had an imaginary mouse. It also left when our second child came along.
ReplyDeleteShe and I had the SAME imaginary friend!
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