As I prepare to wish colleagues a happy new year, I am thinking about how long Sticky will be with us and whether he will make it through 2011.

Our family got Sticky about 2 years ago, just shortly after Max, our second child, was born.  Sticky loves riding in the car with us, playing with my daughter, Elle, and having his meals with the family.  He follows Elle around incessantly and she loves taking care of him.

Sticky is also Elle’s imaginary friend.  (See Elle's drawing of Sticky below)

Although I call him a "he," Sticky is known to change his gender, personality and age on my daughter’s whim.

When Sticky first appeared, I did what most neurotic parents do: scour the internet to see if my kid was “normal.”  Was Sticky a sign Elle wouldn’t socialize with other kids?  Was I not paying her enough attention?  Fortunately, my “research” confirmed that imaginary friends were indeed normal, and as Sticky became a more permanent fixture in our home, I admit I began to find this Sticky fellow charming, annoying and useful, all at once.

Yes, Sticky stole my daughter’s heart from “hello.”  She and Sticky would picnic, go on adventures and get married several times a day.

As fun as Sticky is, he can definitely be annoying.  At a summer BBQ, Elle sat at a picnic bench when her 5-year old cousin innocently tried to join her.  Elle shrieked, “NOOOOO! DON’T SIT THERE! Sticky’s sitting there! You’ll squish him!”  Of course, trying to explain to her cousin that a figment of Elle’s imagination was occupying her dining spot went over like a lead balloon and…right then and there, Sticky instigated WWIII.

As annoying as he can be, Sticky was useful in helping me understand how Elle was feeling in her first month of preschool:

Me: “Does Sticky like his preschool?”

Elle: “Yes.”

Me: “Does Sticky like his Teacher Eliza?”

Elle: “No.”

Me (surprised): “Why?! Is Teacher Eliza not nice?”

Elle: “No, Teacher Eliza is nice to Sticky.  She just doesn’t have a nice face.”

Well, Sticky had a point. Teacher Eliza was certainly kind, but she didn’t exactly look like Mary Poppins...

As Elle accepted that her baby brother was “permanent,” and as she settled into preschool, I noticed that Sticky has shown up less and less.   He’ll join us for dinner once in a while, or I’ll suddenly be informed that “he’s sitting right beside you, Mommy,” but his appearances have waned.

It’s funny, I’ve heard so much about Sticky that he’s become part of our family.  I sometimes find myself missing stories about what he’s doing.  Sure, he’s a bit unpredictable and a troublemaker now and then, but with all that he’s been for our family—an entertainer, helper and confidante-- I hope he knows he will always be welcome in our home.

Does your child have an imaginary friend?