Imogen has an imaginary friend. Her name is Alicia and her experiences are mostly parallel with Imogen's. She came into our lives about six months ago. Immy says Alicia is her sister, but she has different parents and a lot of siblings (usually six or 10). Sometimes Alicia is six years old and sometimes she's 16. Occasionally, she's "grown up," but Immy's a little confused about how old that is. She insists Alicia is not imaginary or invisible, but we don't have to set a place for her at the table either. Earlier this week, Imogen told me that Alicia lost a tooth and the tooth fairy took it and left her a Barack Obama coin in its place.
The Wikipedia article on imaginary friends says they often act as a guardian or protector. I listen to what Imogen says about Alicia for insight into her emotional world.
