Why do children have imaginary friends?

About this episode

What fun it is to have an imaginary friend to blame when you get into mischief! If you have children, you may have experienced a rather amusing situation where your little one blames a friend from their imagination for the mess in their room or a broken object. At times like these, it’s hard to reprimand them, especially if they seem genuinely convinced of their innocence. The appearance of an imaginary friend may be disconcerting, but don’t worry, it’s actually quite common. Is it normal? Does this risk damaging their mental health? How should we react as parents? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions! To listen to the last episodes, you can click here: Why are we having children later and later? What does eating junk food do to our brains? Why are more and more children suffering from virtual autism? A podcast written and realised by Amber Minogue. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices