Parents Share The Creepiest Things They Remember About Their Children's' Imaginary Friends
They're not real!! Thank God!
Everybody needs a friend. We especially needs friends when we're young. But sometimes the right friends don't arrive soon enough, so as placeholders.... we make up friends to fill the void. The imaginary friend, really and truly is everyone's first best friend.
It can be a fascinating look into a child's psyche when you listen to the world they create with imaginary friends and often times, in can be downright scary. Some of these invisible people can be no good. Which is worrisome.
My friend's name was Alfred. He's dead now and he knows why... don't ask.
Redditor u/destinykarmalove wanted to hear from all the parents out there about some of the people their children hang with that they may have issues and possibly.... don't exist in corporeal form by asking.... Parents, what's the creepiest thing you remember about your child and an imaginary friend?Robert
I heard from my parents that I had an imaginary friend named Robert, apparently he had died in a fire. I don't remember this but my parents told me that I would stare at our fireplace in the winter and say "Turn it off, Robert doesn't like fire." and "Robert said fire burns." I would say some really creepy stuff.
"get rid of her."
My daughter had two imaginary friends when she was about 8. The first one's name was Lucy. Apparently she had asthma and one day we were driving in the car with the windows down. It was summer and the AC wasn't working so it was pretty hot. My daughter was sitting in the front seat and she said Lucy was sitting on the floor between her legs.
All of sudden she's screaming and crying because Lucy had an asthma attack and died because she was so hot.
She got a replacement friend. Her name was Keeshe, and according to my daughter, she was Japanese and Jamaican. Well Keeshe was mean and she used to bite people so my daughter said she had to "get rid of her." Whatever that meant.
Nobody.
Not a parent, but my sister's imaginary friend died in a hunting incident. "Mr. Nobody" was accidentally shot, due to the fact that he was invisible.
My brother and cousins and I all had a shared imaginary friend named Mr. Nobody. He was also invisible.
Woah I called my imaginary friend Mr Nobody when I was a kid.
Everly.
My brother had an imaginary friend called Everly. Whenever we got into the car my mum also had to put the seat belt on him. Extra ice cream's were bought for him as well as extra breakfast, lunches and dinners dished up. Looking back I think my brother was just a greedy moron.
Meow.
My daughter used to chat away to nothing looking at the end of the bed. Quite some time later (months), she said she missed her friend. Asked her who she was talking about and she says the boy that used to sit and the end of her bed and talk to her.
She also knew the name of my cat who died before she was born and we are sure no one told her.
Chills.
My daughter had started having an imaginary friend named Riley shortly after we moved into an apartment. It was all cute until she told me he died because his mommy was a bad person. A few months later I met an upstairs neighbor who told me a few tenants ago there was a lady who killed her son named Riley. I had chills.
Chuck.
When I was about four, I had an imaginary friend named Chuck. One day I started screaming because I saw my dad run Chuck over with the lawnmower.
About a year later, my brother grabbed some hamburger off the shelf in the supermarket and had me sound out the sticker on the front: GROUND CHUCK.
My brother is ten years older than me. I'm 40now, he's 50, and he's still a fool.
Jack.
When my daughter was around 4 she had an imaginary friend named Jack that lived under our back porch. He liked to shove sticks down people's throats. I told her that maybe Jack wasn't the nicest person to hang out with!!
All my Pals....
Me as a kid had multiple. The memorable....
- Gogonagi. Gogonagi was a 9 foot long rat. I got the idea from a movie that I have never been able to find again.
- Silly Beaver. Silly Beaver use to jump in my head and I would jump around hitting the side of my head shouting "silly beaver silly beaver get out of my head". This gave my father nightmares.
- Soggy. Soggy lives in a pond. He had a very wide smile.... bc someone made it with a blade. Soggy may actually have been a ghost. AllMyBeets
Hey Grape....
When I was little I had an imaginary friend named Grape. My parents told me that I believed he lived underneath the floor in my room. I remember him being a dark purple silhouette, but I have no idea if that's a false memory or not.
It returned.....
I didn't remember this until my mother reminded me and then the memories came pouring in....
About 3 or 4 yrs old. I used to see a woman's face appear in the ceiling, or she would appear full-bodied in the strangest places. She had black hair, fair skin, reddest lips, green eyes and wore white.
She would usually only appear in my bedroom in the ceiling or sitting above the curtains. One time i saw her sitting on the bonnet of the car when we were driving... i would always freak out when i saw her.
My mum was kinda superstitious so she told me to ask it to leave me alone. It didn't come back for a while. Then maybe year or so later my mother asked me if i had seen it lately, i decided to see if it would come back so i called out for it. It returned. I told my mother and she told me to ask it what it wanted. I did and it answered it was just watching.. i never saw it again after that, but i like to think my countless near-death experiences have been narrowly avoided thanks to this being.
Not Fred
When my daughter was eight, My wife went to wake her up for school. Her window was open, so she asked if she was hot last night. She replied:
"No my friend Fred comes over, and he takes pictures with me at night."
Instantly my wife goes into panic mode. She asks her teacher about anyone named Fred in class or any teachers with that name, nope. Therefore, she asks for more details about Fred. My daughter then pulls out all the letters he's written her. Well, the letters are in her handwriting, so you could easily tell he was fake.
Ohthankgod crisis averted.
gabba....
When i was little i had an imaginary friend named abba gabba. abba gabba was a fish boy who used to be a fish before his owner dropped his tank and killed him. I don't remember much about abba gabba, but i do remember that he had these weird sorta sunken black eyes and red and blue skin, along with long gills extending down about fifteen-ish feet off of his face, and had kinda sharp teeth and a long blue tongue. and for some reason he liked finding curly hair because his owner had it before he turned six.
Coincidentally, six was abba gabba's favorite number. i told my dad about abba gabba one day and he went all pale. apparently my dad had a fish named abba gabba that died when he dropped his tank on his eighth birthday. my dad also had curly hair up until he was six. freaks me out to think about it now.
Effie.
I have a funny, not a creepy, imaginary friend story. For years my son had an imaginary friend name Effie. Effie was a robot with a tail.
When he was probably 4 or so, he told us that Effie's mom had come for a visit. When I asked him what Effie's mom's name was, he thought for a minute, and responded matter-of-factly, "Mother Ef".
I nearly died of laughter. He had no idea that mother ef had actual meaning, to him it was a clever name he thought up all his own.
I am from Eastern Europe....
I wonder if this is some sort of cultural phenomenon. I am from Eastern Europe, and I don't recall kids having imaginary friends, or concepts like this. I came across this concept in American films.
Eastern European who hasn't had any imaginary friends or known anyone who did. However I remember reading a bunch of stories about children's imaginary friends in a local mommy forum There was one funny story about a lady who had to drive all the way back to the store after shopping because her daughter forgot her pack of imaginary friends in the parking lot and was inconsolable lol.
Evicted Gale....
I have told this story before but the creepiest thing about my son's imaginary friend was that he was so... lame. My son said he had a triangle as a head and square as a body and lived behind one of our chairs in "his apartment".
His name was Gale and he always had problems at work and a boring job.
Eventually he got married and had to work more because of his wife. They are eventually had three or four imaginary children and still lived lived in the tiny imaginary apartment. Gale kept his imaginary lame job and had to deal with his wife and kids.
I felt bad for the guy.
Kenya Lives....
My kid had an imaginary friend named Kenya. She was a pretty great imaginary friend. One day, my daughter casually mentioned that Kenya is dead and likes to visit her.
Dark Lady...
My son used to start screaming at night about a lady with dark curly hair in his room, he was about 4. He said she wanted to tickle him and kept telling him to relax. We assumed it was a recurring nightmare and brushed it off but then he started telling me he couldn't go in the living room because she came out of the wall there during the day. It really started impacting our everyday life.
We even asked a therapist about dealing with it but it still continued. A month or so later we moved (unrelated) and it stopped. I asked him about it casually so I wouldn't freak him out and he said she was sitting on the floor in the hall outside our apartment door. She had asked him if she could come in and he said no. No more episodes after that. I don't believe in the supernatural but that creeped me right out.
Sacos and Pacos.....
I had 2 imaginary friends. Sacos and pacos. They were a blue square and a yellow triangle. Then one day someone called our house asking for Pacos. It was just a wrong number for a Paco but my dad busted out laughing thinking it was a prank call.
In the Shed....
My daughter and I were in the shed one day, she was about 4 at the time. We were just chatting etc. when I notice her looking over my shoulder, she looks back at me and says" daddy, who is the man standing behind you?" I look around quickly thinking I left the door open but it was shut. Forget me, sent a massive chill down my spine! Not sure what she could see, but whatever it was, I couldn't see it.
Bob.
My daughter had a man who she called "ghost bob." She said he hung out in the corner of her room.
My grandfather was named Robert, who I called Grandpa Bob. I was very close to him and he died of lung cancer when I was 13.
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People Break Down The Absolute Worst Parts About Having A Child
While starting a family and having children is a goal that many people have, some do not realize that it's not easy, fun, and loving one-hundred percent of the time. Rather, it's expensive, exhausting, and hard, though it might be worth it in the end.
With this in mind, people shared what they felt were the hardest hurdles of their parenting.
Redditor ApprehensiveShock655 asked:
"What's the worst part of having a child?"
Fear of Not Doing Enough
"The constant anxiety that you’re doing enough to shape them to make good choices, a good life, be a good person and for them to have the life they deserve."
- nakedreturnsthe1st
Like the Energizer Bunny
"It's incessant. It never stops. You never get a day off."
"Going from having two days per week to relax and do whatever to literally never having a moment free from responsibility."
- mrbuh
No Break In Sight
"I’ve always wanted kids and still do, but this is the only thing that has come close to giving me pause."
"Both my siblings have young kids and I cannot get over how CONSTANT it is."
"From the second the kids wake up to when they finally shut their eyes, it’s non-stop. Then they get maybe an hour or two to themselves, which is mostly spent tidying up, etc., before the nighttime stuff starts with the baby crying, the toddler coming into bed, nightmares, etc."
"It requires years of not getting a full night's rest. You can never just go out whenever you want. No sleeping in, even on weekends because someone has to be up with them at 6 AM."
"Raising human children is an insane task."
- GirlisNo1
Mom's Body After Baby and Dad Bods
"The weight gain is the worst! During the pregnancy, I gained 35 pounds. My belly has stretch marks. My boobs are all saggy."
"And it’s not even fair because my wife only gained like 15."
- Wise-Reaction-7526
The Meal Planning
"Coming up with three meals to eat per day EVERY DAY stresses me out so bad."
"This sounds like such a small thing, but it really wears on you over time. You can’t just make something for yourself or something you and your spouse feel like eating: You have to constantly be thinking about if the kid is hungry and what they might be willing to eat."
- Ravenclaw79
Keeping Them Safe
"When people ask me this I say, 'do you know those video games where you have to escort a character to a destination without them being attacked?' That's parenting. Those missions are a pain in the a**."
- Infiniski_Gaming
Seriously, Keep Them Safe
"Having to deal with their total lack of self-preservation. They are creative and come up with all kinds of ways to try and kill themselves. Keeping ahead of the game is exhausting."
- Quizzical_Chimp
Constant Contact
"They’re just always there. On you, behind you, in front of you, just a little speed bump impeding every task."
- Tangboy500000
Letting Them Live Their Life Their Way
"Having a kid is like having a little piece of your heart running around in the world. When they're sick or get disappointed or just feel sad, it's worse than having it happen to you."
"Yet at the same time, you need to let your kids work through those things to learn to handle them. If you give into the worry and try to shield them from everything, you risk creating harmful co-dependence."
"So it's a constant struggle. But worth it!"
- um_chili
What Is "Sleep" Again?
"I'm only nine years in, but so far, it's been the sleep deprivation. Hands down."
- tessiegamgee
And What Are These "Sick Days" You Speak Of?
"Having to take care of a sick child when you are also sick. For me that has been the most challenging part so far."
- MrsLouisaMercury
Another Full-Time Job
"It's like taking a second job that lasts 18+ years with a 24/7 schedule with no holidays or sick days."
"…And no second paycheck. It's actually like YOU are paying your second salary instead of getting one."
- mouse_rat
Personal Freedom
"The loss of freedom. I can't just... go somewhere. Even with older kids, there's so much planning and thinking and getting ready."
"I miss being able to just decide to go somewhere, and go there."
- poetris
The Time Flies
"The best advice I got was from an ancient hospital security guard in an elevator. 'The days are long, the years are short, cherish them while you can.'"
- WayOfTheHouseHusband
So Unexpected
"The phrase I hate is, 'You don't know it, but one day you pick your kid up for the last time.'"
- 3_pac
There are all kinds of troubles that come from being a parent, many of which people don't necessarily think about until they already have a baby in the house.
But reassuringly, many people in the subReddit pointed out that no matter how hard some of these hurdles are to get over, it's still worth it in the end, and it goes by far too fast.
Married People Explain How They Tactfully Initiate Sex With Their Partner
Positive emotions are high among people in the blossoming phase of relationships.
Everything seems more romanticized for people in love due to the amorous joy in their hearts–which also influences their desire to frequently get it on under the sheets–or any other daring location in the heat of the moment.
But for those who've declared "'til death do us part," devoted couples may find that they are not always on the same wavelength sexually compared to when they first met.
Curious to hear how people keep their passion alive, Redditor Rude_Phone6841 asked:
"Married people, how do you initiate sex with your partner?"
When verbally articulating isn't enough...
Let The Book Dictate When
"There is a book called 'How to Subtly Tell Your Partner You Want More Sex.' If you sleep on the right side of the bed, you can casually open it up and your spouse will see the giant printed title on the front. Sometimes, I’ll just get the book out and leave it on his side of the bed. Once he was messing with me and acting like he was oblivious to my not-so-subtle hints, so I threw the book at him. The book is effective and hilarious."
"ETA: Sadly, we haven’t found the book since we moved. Fortunately, we’ve started communicating with our words instead. Words are just as effective."
– Flaky_Finding_3902
Save The Date
"I send her an outlook calendar event and if she accepts, IT'S ON."
– Dawn_Piano
The Signal
"You know when I’m down to my socks it’s time for business."
– SEA___BEAR
These couples find that verbal cues are best.
Now's The Time
"Honestly when we have the time one of us usually bluntly says 'let's go have sex right f'king now before we can't' and we go do it. Lol"
– brie1305
Option A Or B
"I have a 2 month old and a 2 year old. Some of the best sex we had was because I said 'after 2 year old goes down and if 2month decides to sleep do you want to meet in the basement' well she decided to sleep and damn that was good."
– Ahkmedjubar
End Of Day Reward
"We just ask each other tbh. We’ll bring it up earlier in the day so we build up the anticipation with each other throughout the day, flirt with each other, gas each other up. All that. Then when it’s finally time at the end of the day, we usually fall asleep cause we’re so tired."
"But the cycle continues the next day!"
– supermariobruhh
People continued offering their wisdom.
Afternoon Hanky Panky
"The trick is to initiate sex during the day. We are both too tired at the end. Plus hanging out all day after is somehow more rewarding."
"Same goes for dates. Have sex at the beginning the date, then go enjoy your time together without any pressure."
– drneeley
Kids In The Equation
"This literally happened today with my wife and me. We have two toddlers so we’re extra exhausted. Earlier today we had the sexy initiation of 'hey, we both showered today, want to have sex after the babies are asleep?' 'Sure.'"
"Then when the kids were asleep, and my wife and I were getting settled into bed, she asked if I still wanted to. I said if she wants to I’m down, but I’m pretty tired and would be fine without it. She said she was also tired and could do without it. So we kissed each other good night and she went to sleep. I’m just winding down on Reddit for a few minutes before I also fall asleep."
"I know this is boring. I didn’t write this to tell an exciting story. Just to share what married life is like for me and probably the large majority of married couples, especially parents of young kids."
– MolotovCollective
Shadow Puppet Technique
"Use my phones torch to shine a shadow of my member up against the bedroom wall."
"Kinda like a bat signal of sorts."
– SchoonerOclock
Mood Lighting
"Turn off the lights and switch on the red lamp beside the bed."
– SuvenPan
Reliable Visual
"Walk by him while taking my top off. He follows me wherever I go and it's been 30 years and counting."
– LisaBooHigh
Every couple is different, and usually establishing a strong communication bond makes everything else in the relationship–including sexy time–falls in line effortlessly.
I knew a couple who made a game out of foreplay and agreed that whoever got home first from getting off work at the same time got to choose the sexual position that night.
They may no longer be together, but I remember them recalling how that technique was fun for them at the beginning stage and it took the pressure off of establishing when they were going to have sex.
Don't take get too anxious about it. It's just sex, and it's fun.
There are a number of things people partake in spite of the known possible ramifications they have on their health and safety.
Up to and including smoking, bungee-jumping, recreational drug use, or simply bike riding without a helmet.
Indeed, even though they know that doing any or all of these things could possibly lead to their death, they do it anyway.
Sadly, even though many people go out of their way to avoid doing these things for that very reason, that still doesn't mean they keep themselves completely out of danger.
Sadly, there are a surprisingly large number of things that lead to an even more surprising number of deaths each year.
Frighteningly, these are things that the majority of the world's population does on an almost daily basis.
"What causes death more than people realize?"
When In Doubt, Call Your Doctor!
"Untreated infections."
"Your body will become septic, in which it essentially kills itself trying to kill off whatever infection one has."- cacarrizales
"Infections that are left untreated."- raptor-99
Tread Carefully. Seriously.
"Tripping."
"On average around 17k people a year in the US die from injuries incurred after tripping and falling."- EdithWhartonsFarts
When In Doubt, Don't Drive.
"Driving while sleepy."- latchkey_adult
The Handrail Is There For A Reason.
"Stairs."
"20 million severe injuries each year and at least 200,000 death from consequences of the fall."
"Both my grandparents died because of a fall."- OnTheGoodSideofLife
They Happen To The Best Of Us
"Fall accidents."
"Especially among the elderly, a fall can create a cascade of events that results in death, even if it seems minor at first."-AdmiralBofa
Never Rush Chewing
"Mozzarella sticks."
"Statistically the most choked on food."- SpecSanders
Never Skip A Check-Up
"High Blood Pressure."
"It sneaks up on you and you don't know about it or don't care but it's the underlying cause of so many deaths."- Fear51
Never Underestimate The Importance Of Self Care
"Stress."
"Your body can only handle so much of it and it’s labeled the 'silent killer' for that reason."
"With your high blood pressure and the 5 hours of sleep a night because of the stress, It will creep up on you sooner than you think."- DroppedDonut
Don't Forget To Floss!
"Untreated dental problems."
"A cavity left untreated can lead to heart attacks and strokes."- Lastalmark
Flu Season
"Influenza."
"Just regular old flu."
"Many people ignore it thinking it'll go away on its own."
"Globally the number per year is usually between 300k and 500k."
"In the US it can be anywhere from 12k to 50k per year."- PhreedomPhighter
Don't Feel Ashamed If You Need A Break
"Shoveling snow."
"I have two family friends pass from heart attacks associated to shoveling the snow."- JD054
There Are People Who Will Help You
"Alcoholism causing liver failure and it's on the rise in the USA."- Interesting_Drop8236
"Peruse your County ME’s records."
"The amount of people who die from alcohol is astounding."- hockenduke
Sometimes, It's Just Best To Mind Your Own Business
"Street fights."
"You watch some Hollywood blockbusters and some MMA fights and you think you can do it too."
"I've seen stories of a guy minding his own business and gets rocked on the side of his head. It disconnected his spine and he was dead before he hit the ground."
"There was another story maybe a year ago of a scuffle where a guy was stabbed in the neck and bled out to the point of being unable to stand within 10 seconds."
"Stop f*cking around, it's not worth your life."- Choiceofart
We never know when our number is up or how we'll end our days.
However, with a little bit of care and good judgment, we can at least likely avoid falling victim to all of the above.
When Americans visit a foreign country, they tend to notice immediate cultural differences from the minute they step off the plane.
Unique bathroom designs, how you might have to be more specific when ordering coffee in Australia, how many businesses in Spain tend to shut down for a few hours to take a siesta.
Needless to say, this goes both ways, as when people from all over the world visit the United States, they tend to be surprised and amazed by a number of things.
Ranging from the amusing, such as portion sizes and ineffective tea brewing (at least for the Brits) to the truly baffling (HEALTHCARE).
"Non-American people, what’s a thing that you don’t understand about America?"
You Mean, People DON'T File Their Own Taxes Elsewhere?!?!
"Does every worker have to file their own taxes or am I just confused?"- ThePencil67
"Why they make you calculate your own taxes, if they know what you owe."- redder2023
Flagrant Commercialism...
"So, why do you buy politicians' merchandise? "
"Shirts, caps, banners, stickers, etc."
"They're public servants, not rockstars."
"Also, usually the more boring they are, the better."- akashyy
Work/Life Balance
"Scottish person here but the work/always available for work culture."
"Minimal vacation time, minimal maternity/paternity leave and the fact you can pretty much just be let go."
"It makes me sad to think about it!"
"But I do love that you guys cram so much into your time off - you guys love a road trip!"- Frosty_Dragonfly_682
Definitely Something To Consider...
"What is up with Homeowner Associations?"
"Why would you pay to let a nosy neighbor dictate what you can and can not do on your own property?"
"I understand living in an apartment block and paying maintenance fees etc, but in a suburban home?"- Skoodledoo
There Are Some Good Observations
"The amount of National Parks!"
"My dream came true in 2017 to make an RV trip southwest off USA."
"Yosemite blew my mind away."- Independent-Ad9787
HAHAHA
"How you can say the word 'mirror' without the use of any vowels."
"Mrrrrrr."- Otto1968
I Ordered A Small!
"Why everything is just SO damn supersized."
"My first time in America I went to get ice coffee from Dunkin Donuts, I ordered a large and my friend is like, 'are you sure you want large'?"
"Yeah no biggie, in the UK a large is not overwhelming I feel so I was expecting the same kinda thing."
"Oh my god it was like a god damn bucket of coffee."
"I think maybe a small would have been equivalent to a UK large, lesson swiftly learnt."
Some People Are Lucky To Just Have One Roommate...
"How you have to share a room with some complete rando when you go to college."- ChoppingOnionsForYou
Some People Just Can't Stop Talking
"The culture of just talking to people, strangers you don't know and just up and start a conversation with them or join a conversation."
"I'm British, and we go through great lengths to not talk to people, let alone open up and pour our hearts out to a random person."- MrGlayden
In Other Words: Severs Deserve to Be Paid More!
"The tipping culture is so foreign to me, I would be so scared to make a mistake or not tipping enough if I ever go to America because it's not something which is common here in Denmark."- Cupsuu
The Commercials, Maybe?
"I’m American but I’ve worked with a lot of people who aren’t."
"The one thing they always wonder is why Americans are so obsessed with the NFL."
"They think it’s a boring sport."
"They explained 'you wait for 30 seconds, they hike the ball, you get about 5-10 seconds of action, then you wait another 30 seconds, another 5-10 seconds of action, then commercial break'."- yougotthesilver12
School Is No Place To Have Fun!
"My mom is from Moscow during the Soviet Era, and she is confused why there is no teacher-student hierarchy."
'She thinks it's weird when teachers participate in school plays or speak to students informally."
"She also DOES NOT GET pajama day."
"To her, it's just the weirdest thing in the world."
"In Russia, there is an important distinction between 'clothes for home' and 'clothes for outside'."
"They have a concept of 'home clothes', like your cozy or ugly clothes, that you are supposed to change into after school or work."
"At bedtime, you change out of your 'home clothes' into pajamas."
"As a result, pajamas, for both adults and children, are considered extra-extra private in Russia."
"My mom perceives pajama day as something extreme like wearing only undergarments to school."
"That's how private pajamas are considered to be in Russia!"- racheltolmach2022
A Debate Which Will Likely Never End
"MM/DD/YYYY"- SuvenPan
Living in America comes with a number of advantages and a number of detriments.
Speaking personally though, had I known I wouldn't have to file my own taxes in Australia, I would have expatriated long ago...