When I get there to pick them up, Mom gives me the update on what they did and what they ate.
One day, during the update she said, "Oh--I've been meaning to tell you... Have you heard about Jo-Jo?" I had no idea what she was talking about. She had a look on her face that I wasn't sure how to read, a smile with eyes that told me that she was about to tell me something unusual. "You haven't heard him talk about Jo-Jo?"
"No."
"Ethan has an imaginary friend," she said, smiling, watching Ethan run around the living room.
"What?"
"Yes. Sometimes little boys have them. It's okay."
I wasn't sure what I was feeling. I was confused. And I was a little scared. Troubling thoughts came rushing into my mind. What's wrong with him? I thought. Is he hallucinating? OMG--does he see dead people? Is he emotionally disturbed--Is he schizophrenic? Surely he is too young to make-believe so deeply, to invent a person, to talk to someone who is not there. Is he lonely? How could a twin be lonely for a friend? But then my thoughts turned to comfort me: Or...Maybe he is a genius. He is a special kid. He is probably just super creative. Maybe we watch too many imaginative things on t.v. like Pete's Dragon and Horton Hears a Who.
Pete walks around with his invisible dragon and upsets the entire town. Horton stomps around the jungle with a flower on which he claims there is an entire town of friends. As a matter of fact, he speaks to the mayor of the town who has 96 daughters and one son...named Jo-Jo. The mean kangaroo deems Horton a danger to the jungle. No one believes Pete about his dragon and no one believes Horton about his town, not until they make their presence undeniable. And once they do, everyone is happy. These "imaginary" friends seem to renew the non-believers' hearts and restore overall harmony.
"What does he say?" I asked.
"He just points him out or mentions him when he's playing."
"Do you think he really sees something? Is there something wrong, you think?"
"No, he's just pretending. It's okay. A lot of kids have one."
"Ethan, where's Jo-Jo?" Mom asked him.
"He's right here...on the ground," Ethan said. And he quickly squatted down and touched the floor with his hand, and sprang back up. No big deal. I was amazed. I was proud. I was curious.
I went home and read up on the internet about imaginary friends. I read that it is common and normal, seen especially in extroverted and creative children, and usually outgrown by age 5. It is not a sign of anything wrong with the child. "It's just plain fun," said one article.
Now and then I hear him telling Jo-Jo not to do something, "No, no, Jo-Jo! Don't do that!" or just randomly saying his name. Once, in the bathtub he said, "Hi, Jo-Jo!" and kissed the air beside him. "I kissed Jo-Jo!"
It's amazing to me what a little mind can do.
When I hear him speak his name, I sometimes ask him, "Where is Jo-Jo, Ethan?" and I get varying replies:
"He's workin'."
"He's on the couch."
"He's right here." [tapping the air beside him]
"He's over there."
He doesn't smile, like when he is tricking me. It is a matter-of-fact response. There is no hesitation. He's here and there. Jo-Jo doesn't seem to do much or cause any trouble like Drop Dead Fred. Apparently, he just sort of...sits around. But where ever he is, and whatever he is doing, Ethan is always certain:
Jo-Jo is near.
Pete walks around with his invisible dragon and upsets the entire town. Horton stomps around the jungle with a flower on which he claims there is an entire town of friends. As a matter of fact, he speaks to the mayor of the town who has 96 daughters and one son...named Jo-Jo. The mean kangaroo deems Horton a danger to the jungle. No one believes Pete about his dragon and no one believes Horton about his town, not until they make their presence undeniable. And once they do, everyone is happy. These "imaginary" friends seem to renew the non-believers' hearts and restore overall harmony.
"What does he say?" I asked.
"He just points him out or mentions him when he's playing."
"Do you think he really sees something? Is there something wrong, you think?"
"No, he's just pretending. It's okay. A lot of kids have one."
"Ethan, where's Jo-Jo?" Mom asked him.
"He's right here...on the ground," Ethan said. And he quickly squatted down and touched the floor with his hand, and sprang back up. No big deal. I was amazed. I was proud. I was curious.
I went home and read up on the internet about imaginary friends. I read that it is common and normal, seen especially in extroverted and creative children, and usually outgrown by age 5. It is not a sign of anything wrong with the child. "It's just plain fun," said one article.
Now and then I hear him telling Jo-Jo not to do something, "No, no, Jo-Jo! Don't do that!" or just randomly saying his name. Once, in the bathtub he said, "Hi, Jo-Jo!" and kissed the air beside him. "I kissed Jo-Jo!"
It's amazing to me what a little mind can do.
When I hear him speak his name, I sometimes ask him, "Where is Jo-Jo, Ethan?" and I get varying replies:
"He's workin'."
"He's on the couch."
"He's right here." [tapping the air beside him]
"He's over there."
He doesn't smile, like when he is tricking me. It is a matter-of-fact response. There is no hesitation. He's here and there. Jo-Jo doesn't seem to do much or cause any trouble like Drop Dead Fred. Apparently, he just sort of...sits around. But where ever he is, and whatever he is doing, Ethan is always certain:
Jo-Jo is near.
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