Hector Casanova/The Kansas City Star

I had to post this picture. It accompanied an article about toddlers and their imaginary playmates. I don't think I had one but I believe my brother did. F had a dinosaur that trailed her around for awhile when she was two.

I used to think about the relationship F had with Bunny, which I suppose is somewhat analagous. She wanted Bunny - well, she wanted Bunny all the time, but particularly when she was afraid or sick. Bunny comforted her in a way that we could not, although she definitely wanted comfort from us too. But actually, Bunny was and is just a stuffed animal and can't do anything or comfort anyone. It was interesting to me to consider that when Bunny comforted F, she was actually comforting herself. I used to read pop psychology and I think what was happening was that F was projecting an aspect of her own personality into Bunny, and as she matured, she was able to integrate it back into her own - is gestalt the word I want?