Sylvia and Maggie

Sylvia and Maggie hanging upside down

Maggie has a new friend that joined her and I on some outings yesterday. Maggie had mentioned Sylvia playing with her before, but I didn't think much of it. Then yesterday Sylvia played with us on the play equipment, she came with us to get some lunch where her and Maggie shared a bagel together, and sat in the same chair. Then Sylvia joined us at the coop to buy a few groceries before we headed home. Sylvia appears to be a great friend. She's always up for anything Maggie wants to do! She's very quiet! I'm not sure if we'll be having many more play dates with Sylvia---we'll see!

Special Note: Of course Sylvia came as a bit of a surprise for me. I know Maggie overheard the name at the Parent Toddler Cooperative School. I also know Maggie really misses her friends in Boise, and although she plays near many peers here in Moscow, she isn't playing "with" peers as she used to with Kamlin, Goldie, Bella, and all her other friends at school. I can only assume she's adapting to her new surroundings, and making the most of her play until she makes some closer friends or begins preschool. I of course will support her play with Sylvia if she chooses to continue, heck, I even took a picture of her and Sylvia for her!!

Here's some brief information on imaginary friends from Zero to Three:

Imaginary friends are quite common in childhood and can last into the first years of grade school. There's no need to worry unless you see that the pretend friend is interfering in your child's development; for example, if she wants to spend most of her time with her imaginary friend or is so preoccupied with her make-believe pal that she is not connecting with family, building real relationships with friends, or engaging in play and exploration as she used to. There's no need to be concerned if your child still occasionally plays with her imaginary friend---she's simply entertaining herself.

-www.zerotothree.org