Concerns about child's imagination

[mummytotwoxo]

Is there ever a point a child's imagination becomes a concern. I don't know if I'm overreacting or not.. my son you could say is quite quirky he is 5 he has talked to himself for as long as I can remember. Often repeating anything said to him in a whisper. For around about a year he has had an imaginary friend (a 23 year old man) so he says. He's currently sat in the kitchen wrapping up "gifts" for his imaginary friends birthday he was also doing this yesterday. 2 nights ago he woke up in the middle of the night presumably hallucinating he got himself very upset and was saying things were there that was not for hours. I brought him downstairs at 4am to calm him down. I contacted the gp the morning after, we are waiting for an appointment. Last night he woke once freaking out and settled back down in minutes and then again a few hours later I caught him just sat up in bed in silence.

I'm really starting to be worried about him. Am I over reacting? He doesn't really watch tv/ screen time I don't let him in supervised on YouTube ect so I know it's not that.

Reincarnation I reckon.

I had an imaginary friend called Janet.

I’m a normal and successful adult.

Totally normal, but I'd keep an eye on him re last night, only because me and my son (who coincidentally also had an imaginary friend at that age) if we wake like this it seems to herald an incoming ear infection!

I had an imaginary friend called Emily. Used to scare the hell out of my young aunties when I'd sleep over with them and talk to Emily in the middle of the night. 🤣

Take comfort in the fact that your DC's imaginary friend is at least a person....DD's was a fluffy chick called "Hennery".

ETA DD works in a zoo and has a special interest in birds...clearly "Hennery" left his mark on her.

I'm not a professional and I think you should talk it over with your GP as you plan, however I can say that my 2 DS were the same. They are twins, they had an imaginary friend, whom they both spoke with all the time (3 way conversation between them and "friend"). It went on for so long (2 years and a few months) that firstly I was sick of it as it was constant and second I was really worried about them. But they grew out of it, grown up to be healthy young men in their early twenties now. So I think that imaginary friends can seem very real and be referred to all the time for ages, but it doesn't necessarily mean there is a problem.