By Sunil Tanna

As a loving and caring parent, the first step is to understand that it is quite common and normal for children to have an imaginary friend, or even perhaps more than one imaginary friend. You also should realize that its perfectly safe and healthy.

Imaginary friends can in fact be an important part of growing up. Its an important creative aspect of a child. And the chances are, even if you do not remember having one yourself, you probably did.

Part of this reason for this is that it is very hard for a young child to explain themselves or communicate well with adults. The imaginary friend is thus used as a gateway of communication between parent and child. The use of an imaginary friend can help your child to deal with emotions and problems which he would otherwise struggle to handle.

For example, think about when your child is feeling lonely, bored, or simply in need of attention, particularly when you are not around. These emotions can make any child, especially a child under the age of five, feel upset. The imaginary friend is used by the child to help deal with these feelings. An imaginary friend is the method a young child can use to handle the emotions that come with changing school, moving house, or the arrival of a new baby who is getting all the attention now.

Imaginary friends are also used for other types of emotional support too. If a child feels unaccepted or over-controlled by his parents, then he may invent an imaginary person who he pretends treats him as the way he wished mommy and daddy treated him

Another example is fear. Many children use imaginary friends or other imaginary situations to overcome their fears. For example, a child might create an imaginary animal such as a dog, to help him overcome a fear of real dogs.

The most important thing to remember when considering this issue is that children are not like adults. Because they do not have the life experience of adults, they use different methods to cope with uneasy feelings. Once you understand that, you can and should be able embrace your childs imaginary friend, and find out more about by asking questions. You might be surprised at just much you can learn about your child as a result.

First published at http://www.guide2parenting.com/p1_articles_imaginary_friends.php

By Varghese

Employed in a school in Nainital, Uttar Pradesh,India, Alice Thomas had to return to her native in Kerala to treat her husband who lost his mental balance after a serious car accident. Adept at arts, she took up an assignment of teaching craft to inmates at the Central Jail in Trivandrum to support her family. Her kids, Sumesh and Neethi, were 3 and 1 respectively, when tragedy struck this family. She toiled and squeezed out even her last penny, but in vain as her husband couldnt be saved.

Area Of Work Her exposure to the life of women convicts in the jail, and their children made her see the other side of life. Amidst adversity, Alice Thomas came forward to help the distressed. Five years back, when one of the inmates handed over her 2 year old kid to Alice, her compassionate heart couldnt say no. With practically nothing, but a caring and loving heart, she accepted the kid (Anup) and brought him up along with her own kids. This was the beginning of Divine Childrens Home (DCH), a warm and loving sanctuary for destitute children at Trivandrum.

Alice Thomas Contribution To The Society At present, Alice Thomas has spread her wings of love to around 30 kids housed at DCH. With a mission to respect and value the dignity of human life, DCH provides shelter, food and education to destitute children without any discrimination whatsoever. The children, neglected by all and sundry, consider themselves to be a part of an extended family.

Many of the kids parents are serving long time in the Central Jail. These kids, whom the society forces into the path of ignominy, and then treats as outcasts, are adopted by DCH and raised in homely atmosphere to grow up as responsible citizens of the society. Children, who could have become a bane to the society without proper upbringing and emotional support, have been given a new direction in life by Alice Thomas. What she has done for destitute kids is not something confined to them alone; it encompasses the whole society we all are part of!!!

Ms. Alice Thomas, Divine Childrens Home, URL: www.divinechildrens.com Email: dch_tvm@yahoo.co.in

Varghese