What About Bob?

My sister had an imaginary friend when she was little. {I hope she doesn't mind my sharing. It's not a national secret} Her name was Carol. I remember setting a place at the dinner table for Carol. And I remember the morning we were at Seagrove Beach and we all got up and Biz announced that Carol was gone. GONE? "She just got on her tricycle and rode to California!" I still remember the way she said it. It reminds me of another cute little girl I know with an imaginary friend.
Have you heard about Bob? Bob is Ellie's imaginary...um...friend? Spouse? I'm not sure how to classify him. Bob showed up when Ellie was about two years old. He is her "baby's daddy" in her words. And she means this literally. When she was two, she didn't have "husband" in her vocabulary so she called him by what he literally was to her. Although it still baffles me that she has an imaginary husband. It makes her sound kind of fast, but I assure you she is NOT.
Bob is an excellent dad. He OFTEN has the baby. Like way more than most men I know. He takes the baby to school. He fixes dinner for her and gets up at night with her. Bob is a great eater. He loves vegetables. Bob isn't troublesome at all. We've never set a place for him at the table or had to be careful not to sit on him or anything like that. The only time I thought things might be taking a turn for the worse was the day Ellie came into the bathroom while I was showering and said "Mama? Can Bob take a shower?" I just said "He'll have to wait until I am finished." That was fine with Bob and that was all I heard about it.
Then there was the time that Brandon told Ellie they could go see Bob's house in a passing conversation one evening. We got ready to sit down to dinner and Ellie had a COMPLETE AND TOTAL breakdown because she wanted to go see Bob's yellow house and I am not sure Brandon had even realized he told her they could do that. Brandon being Daddy of the Year said "Ok, come on. You show me where it is." They drove the country version of a block (about 3 miles in a circle) and came on home. Ellie pointed out a house that was "Bob's". Then when Ellie came in our house she said "Mama, Bob doesn't really have a house. I just wanted to go for a ride."
I hear about Bob every day. On the way to school or home from school, Ellie always has some Bob story to tell me. She is exclusive about who she talks to about Bob: Brandon, Nana, Biz and I are in the "Bob Club".
Biz and Nana have become concerned. Biz went so far as to tell Ellie that Bob wasn't real. {Yes, the girl who had her own imaginary friend!} Ellie said "Mama? Do you know what Biz said about Bob?" "What Ellie?" "Biz said Bob isn't real and he is." Hmmm....this is a Mama test...So we talked some about Bob and his realness vs. his imaginary-ness. We agreed that he was real to Ellie but in reality {as in to everyone else}, he was just pretend. Sometimes I actually get a bit alarmed. So almost weekly we go over it again. "Ellie, is Bob real?" She always confirms that he is just pretend.
I know one day Bob will fade away or abruptly leave {like Carol}. Honestly, I think that will be one. sad. day. because it will mean Ellie is too old for things like imaginary friends. So for now, I will listen carefully to all the stories about Bob and his mom and his chicken farm and how well he takes care of the baby. I actually wish I could record every conversation!
Finally, to reassure Nana and Biz even further, I found this article {click on the word article, Nana}that I found on another blog I read. An imaginary friend is a sign of a healthy imagination!