Imaginary friends in childhood refer to the invisible beings that a child gives a personality to and plays with for over three months.

Crabby crab （蟹）appeared on a holiday in Norway by running out of my four-year-old son Fisher's ear after a night of tears from an earache. Like other childhood imaginary friends, Crabby should be a sign that Fisher's mind is growing and developing positively. Indeed, research shows that imaginary friends can help develop children's social skills.

Research has shown that the positive effects of having imaginary friends as a child continue into adulthood. Adolescents who remember their imaginary playmates have been found to use more active coping （应对）styles, such as seeking advice from loved ones rather than bottle things up inside. Even adolescents with behavioral problems who had imaginary friends as children have been found to have better coping skills through the teenage years.

Scientists think this could be because these teens have been able to adjust themselves to the social world with imagination rather than choose to be involved in relationships with more difficult classmates. It could also be because the imaginary friends help to reduce these adolescents^, loneliness.

These teens are also more likely to seek out social connections - they tend to turn to others for advice. Current research by Tori Watson is taking this evidence and looking at how adolescents who have imaginary friends as children deal with bullying （欺凌）at school. It is found that teens who remember their imaginary friends are better at dealing with bullying.

While we know a lot about childhood imaginary friends such as Crabby Crab and the positive effects they can have, there is still a lot to learn about imaginary friends.

How to mend a broken friendship? It may be hard, but fixing a broken friendship will make it even stronger than before. Here are some tips that will be useful.

Be the one to reach out before the other.

【小题1】Let it be you this time. It will show them that you want to be friends again, and you’re serious about resolving things. Think about how you can reach them. Depending on the person and the severity of your argument, you may need to try a few different ways to get in touch.

【小题2】

If your friend refuses to see or speak with you, or visiting them in person isn’t an option, you may want to just back off for a while. Your friend wants space and that should be respected. Use the time to reflect on the situation and prepare what you want to say. Don’t push your friend if it’s clear they want space. It will only upset them and make them frustrated with you.

Talk about the problem honestly and openly.

Explain what you feel is the problem and be honest about it. Then ask them to do the same. Let them talk for as long as they need to. Really listen and don’t interrupt them.【小题3】

Apologize to them and accept their apology.

Even if you didn’t do anything and you believe the situation is their fault, opening with an apology sets the tone. You could say “I’m really sorry things have gotten to this point. I want things to be better between us.” If you did wrong them in some way, apologize to them sincerely.【小题4】

Avoid restarting an argument.

It’s important that you don’t say or do anything hurtful during this conversation.【小题5】so do your best to keep things peaceful. If things get heated, don’t allow them to escalate.

There are lots of friends who pepper our world. Partying friends, business partners,cool co-workers you have a drink with after work.【小题1】 But what makes a true friend?

1.They don't judge you.

【小题2】   When something embarrassing,upsetting,or bad happens or something goes wrong and you can't deal with it alone, a real friend will listen without judging,Brene Brown says we re blessed to have just one or two friends we can trust with our "shame stories"

2.They speak truth.

Real friends never sugarcoat anything just to please you. 【小题3】 And you've learned to appreciate this,because not many other people in your life will tell it like it is.They tell you the truth not to hurt you, but to help you make the right choices in your life and become a better person because of this.

3. You can show them all sides of yourself.

A real friend isn't there just for the good times: celebrations, happy events, when you're in a good mood..,They're there for you in times of pain, uncertainty, and failure too.

【小题4】

4.They want good things for you.

Real friends aren't worried about you outshining(超过）them.【小题5】 To know if you're dealing with a real friendship or not, just notice who sticks around when you reach new heights in your life. Some people will try to tear you down,but the real friends will surely feel happy for you.