The Pretend Friend

"Mommy, Prince and I sleep in the same bed," my five-year-old daughter announced to me and the rest of the shoppers in the cereal aisle.

HUH?!? I grabbed my jaw and took a deep breath. "No, I don't think so, sweetie," I told her. My face flushed. "Boys sleep in boys' rooms and girls sleep in girls' rooms," I continued. Where is this coming from? I'm really not ready for this conversation.

I found out about Prince on our way to the grocery store. She informed me that Prince would be sitting in the middle seat. Usually, she refers to her younger brother as Prince, so I told her that no, he had to sit in his car seat. She then informed me that Prince was her "pretend friend." Ah. For some reason, it bothered me that she had an imaginary friend who was a boy. I'm just not ready to go there yet.

I'm trying not to make a big deal about Prince. Occasionally, if she brings him up, I'll ask a question. The other day, she eased my mind with the following conversation:

Me: "Is Prince another brother.

Her: "Yes, mommy. I have two brothers."

At that point, the youngest one looked at me and said "No, one sister."

The other day, the mystery behind Prince was solved. We were watching one of her favorite cartoons. I noticed that the little girl in the cartoon had a pretend friend who was a boy. "Is that where you got the idea for Prince?" I asked her. She gave me a sheepish look. She proceeded to tell me that she had to have a prince she could dance with since she's a princess.

I'm a little more comfortable with the idea of Prince, just as long as he stays in the boy's room.