Imaginary friends are part of normal childhood development, but clinicians should assess rigidity, distress, or functional impairment to separate healthy play from underlying concern issues.

In Stranger Things season 5, Holly Wheeler's imaginary friend causes concern. (Netflix) After nearly a decade, Netflix hit Stranger Things is drawing to an end with season five – and Mike and Nancy's ...

While on vacation my daughter started talking about an imaginary friend. The name she chose shocked me.Courtesy of Alexandra Meyer. I was enjoying a family vacation when my daughter started playing ...

Sometimes when I reach for a bag of frozen mixed vegetables, I’ll find a hamster in our freezer. My daughter put the disintegrating stuffed toy in a Caboodle, a clear plastic case meant for organizing ...

"Mom/Dad! I'm SOOO bored!" Hearing this can conjure a rolling of the eyes in most parents. Decades ago, playing outside until sunset cured the "I am bored" declaration. Children happily imagined being ...

An earlier version of this story appeared in Kids Today, Vox’s newsletter about kids, for everyone. Sign up here for future editions. A Vox reader asks, “Why do children often have imaginary friends?” ...

IF—Ryan Reynolds and John Krasinski’s movie about imaginary friends—is streaming soon on Paramount+. Released in theaters on May 17, IF is written, directed and stars Krasinski in the supporting role ...

Carla is a writer from Peñuelas, Puerto Rico, now based in Atlanta. She’s an Emory alum with both a BA and MA in English, but more importantly, she’s a Pisces with lots of opinions about video games.

One of the main focuses in the Adventure Awaits expansion pack for The Sims 4 is childhood. With this pack, Sims' childhoods will greatly impact who they become later in life. They can have formative ...

I was enjoying a family vacation when my daughter started playing with some imaginary friends. I was horrified to learn that she had named one of them 'Instagram' after the social media app. This made ...