Raina's Sibling(s)

A few weeks back, Raina turned to me and said, "Mommy, you have a brother and sister? Sammy has a brother and sister? Daddy has sisters? Where is my brother and sister?" And then she looked at me expectantly with the hope of a real answer. I told her that she was right, we all had brothers or sisters, and that we were really lucky to have siblings. And the reason she didn't have a little brother or sister is because Daddy and Mommy hadn't made one yet. That led to a whole other set of questions and a conversation about how babies grow. In the end, she summed up by saying "I want a brother or sister."

Yes, well, it's nice to voice an opinion, but it really isn't up to her. Or so I thought. Raina figured that if Mommy and Daddy could make a younger sibling, then she could make one too. She now has imaginary brothers and sisters -- she even calls them by name, there are 11 of them -- and they do all sorts of crazy adventures. She frequently will tell a story and then say, "... my sister did that. She's silly!" or "My brother is so funny!"

What's most amusing about this is that she refers to her brother and sister in mixed company, and those adults look rather confused by her comments. As yet, we haven't explained the situation, because, well, it's funny. And I don't have the heart to tell Raina that her brother and sister are pretend. They seem real enough to her. I just never imagined that she would pick siblings to be her imaginary friends.