Pure Imagination

Evelyn believes she is a mermaid.  She could lie in the bathtub for hours floating with just her sweet face poking out.  She loves being in water.

Evelyn is fairly unpredictable.  She can be very sweet and loving and is wonderful at sharing.  She can also throw a tantrum like nobody's business.  Wailing, kicking, screaming.

She has an angelic face and a hateful scowl.

She has always preferred sleeping on the floor.

She loves to sing and dance.

When we are in the car on a breezy day she proclaims in awe, "Look, the trees are dancing!"

Last night was interesting.  Evelyn went to bed really well, slept for about 4 hours, and then woke up.  She was very happy and sweet but wide awake.  It was 11 o'clock and I was just getting into bed.  We struggled for quite awhile as I tried to get her to stay in her bed and fall back to sleep.  As I was laying by her she started talking about the monsters in her bedroom.

We've been through monsters before with Max, who has his nights of being scared, thinking there are monsters in his closet.  Max is very logical so we take the approach of telling him monsters are pretend.  Things like wolves, bears, beasts, etc. could be considered monsters in stories...but monsters aren't real...and he gets that.

Last night was the first night she has brought up monsters being in her room.  It was a completely different experience.  First of all, she pointed to a couple of different spots as she was talking about the monsters in her room.  "Look, Mommy, there's a monster by my door.  Look, there's one on my window."  She wasn't scared, really, but was pointing them out and not wanting them to be in her room.  So I took the "kick the monsters out" approach.  I told her monsters weren't allowed in our house and, besides, it was bedtime and those monsters needed to go home and go to bed.  We cried, "Get out of here, monsters!  And STAY OUT!" Evelyn thought that was funny.

A little while later, when she woke me up again, I prepped myself for a long night.  I couldn't keep my eyes open but she was wide awake.  I realized that my hopes of her going back to bed were unrealistic so I turned on her lamp and told her she could read books and play quietly.  She was in the best mood and entertained herself impressively.  She was awake for at least 4 hours...I think she finally stayed in bed around 3 o'clock.

Here is the most interesting part of the night.  (I hesitate to write it, but I'd like advice)  She needed to go to the bathroom and I sat on the edge of the bathtub to help her when she was done.  She looked out into our hallway and smiled.  "Look, Mommy, there's a pig on our stairs!  I want to play with the pig!  And there's a little girl."

That part freaked me out.  No.  No little girls on the stairs of our 100 year old house.

She quickly moved on.  Still smiling.  I was quickly thinking back to everything she had consumed during the day and what might be causing her "hallucinations".  I felt her body for signs of fever.

Evelyn started looking all around the bathroom.  "Look, Mommy.  Look at all the butterflies!  Lots of butterflies!"  Then she held out her palm.  "I want it to sit on my hand.  Look.  It's yellow.  It's sitting on my hand."  She was wide awake.  Had been awake for a couple of hours.  She was happy and alert.  Maybe too alert.  She was talking and looking and pointing as though she was actually looking at these things.  They didn't bother her.  She seemed so happy in her world.  Then, looking out the window "Look!  A duck.  It's outside.  It's flying!"

Tonight she woke up and I went in to help her back in bed.  She said, "I need an umbrella.  It's raining.  I want to sleep on my floor."

What do you think?

I'm a little worried.  I know children have imaginary friends and that they can be very real to them.  I've never known anyone who has, but it seems like it happens.

Are there children who's imagination is so expansive that they are actually seeing these creatures?

I tried not to think of it too much last night because I really was nervous.  I sent Jason a text telling him to call me as soon as he got the chance in the morning because I was scared.  But as I was talking to him about it on the phone this afternoon, it became very amazing to me.

She has been imaginative in the past, but maybe as she grows, that imagination will really start to make itself present in extraordinary ways.  It made me realize that there are many people who would have to have lived in more imaginative realm to have accomplished the things they did.  Composers, musicians, authors- artists of every kind.  I just don't know how to deal with it.  I've always been afraid of the supernatural and witnessing my 2 year-old daughter experience this was a bit disturbing to me.

At the same time, I'm excited because somewhere there is a child who will be the next J.K Rowling and maybe, just maybe, it's this little girl sitting in front of me on the toilet.