A boy and his real-imaginary friend

We never did get Max’s name legally changed to Purple Max, or Purple Car Wash Spaghetti Max, which is just as well because he has a new name:

Max and Caleb.

Caleb is a kid in Max’s class, some of you may recall. Like a longtime married couple, Max talks about the two of them as if they are one person (there they are above, at a Valentine's dance). Anytime you write Max’s name on a piece of paper, you have to write “Max and Caleb.” Even at the top of his homework sheets. When my shower steams up the bathroom window and Sabrina scribbles her name with a finger, she also writes “Max and Caleb.”

Max and Caleb go everywhere together, in Max’s imagination. We read a book about trucks the other day, and on every page Max would point to one truck and say “Ax!” and to another and say “Ayleh!” (aka Caleb). When I draw buses for him—he always wants me to draw buses—Max points out where he sits (he likes the last seat, as all cool kids do) and where Caleb sits (right in front of him).

We now have a permanent blue plate at the table, for Caleb, right next to Max’s purple one.

It’s been fascinating to watch Max's imagination at work. It’s also come in quite handy:

“Max, it’s time for you and Caleb to take a bath!”
“Max, Caleb wants to go to sleep NOW!”
“Max, can you and Caleb make dinner?” (As if.)

This morning when Max woke up I said, “Max, you’re going to Florida today!” It’s an escape I planned last month, before everything happened.

Max said, “Ax and Ayleh!” 

I said, “You want Caleb to come with us to Florida?

Max said, “Yeah!”

Although we neglected to buy Caleb a plane ticket, he was with us in spirit.“Ax and Ayleh!” Max said as he settled into his seat and pointed to the empty one next to him.

Max was extra psyched because I’d packed spaghetti, and he and Caleb fully enjoyed it.

What sort of imaginary activities has your child been into lately? Does he or she have an imaginary friend who’d like to come clean our house?