hearing voices

[mje2]

My six year old daughter casually told me that she hears voices.  I tried to respond casually and asked questions that gave me the following information.  The voices are soft and generally just say her name.  Sometimes they tell her to come to them.  They do not tell her to do anything in particular.  They do not carry on conversations with her.  She sometimes finds it annoying or distracting, but generally is not frightened.  She hears them both inside and outside.  It is as if they are carried on the wind.  She says they have been talking to her for several years.

She reads above grade level, has friends, plays well with others and alone, is very well behaved, and likes to be helpful and considerate.  Her father and I are divorcing but still live in the same house but sleep in separate bedrooms.  She has always slept with us and now alternates between our beds.  (I do not agree with this and have told her father we need to get her in her own bed and she is definitely too old to be sleeping with him.  Until he cooperates with a new bedtime routine, it will be difficult for me to break this routine.)

Recently, she has gone a bit "overboard" with treating one particular doll as a real baby.  She says her feelings are hurt if anyone refers to it as a doll.  She wants me to call it her daughter and my granddaughter and to refer to it by name.  She even wants to have a birthday party for it.  I have been amenable but not overly encouraging.

Is this just an active imagination?  Should I take her to the doctor or a mental health professional?  If it's not that serious, should I play along more enthusiastically, remain accepting and not enthused, or gently discourage?

Thanks for any suggestions.

[mje2]

Thank you both for your comments.  I will pay closer attention to her taking care of her "baby."  It seems very important to her that she is a good mother - feeding, comforting, dressing, bathing, etc.  She frequently asks me if she is a good mother.  (I hope it means she is emulating me rather than expressing something she is missing!)

As far as arguments, yes, she does hear them sometimes.  I try to avoid arguing in front of the children but sometimes emotions erupt, etc.

It just occurred to me that she is also dealing with her sister eventually leaving for college in the fall.  So her family living arrangements are definitely going to change soon.  She is aware of all this, especially with her parents in separate bedrooms and all the discussions about college visits, dorm rooms, etc.
Thanks for helping me think this through!

[margypops]

I agree it sounds like game playing to me ,she may also be upset by the happenings in her life ,are there any arguments she over hears ?

[positiveexposure22]

just my opion on first reading your letter you hear of some people with special talents and been ably to talk to guides and angels , whether you believe this or not is another story , but could it be possably this beaviour started and especially with the doll , , she could be espressing her own feelings and emotions through the doll ,, , those she understand  fully why your getting devorced ,, and she ll be still loved is she afraid etc will she freely express her own feeling ,, keep an eye on the stories she telling you about her baby ,, you might find its relates to her,many children may pick ip an imaginery friend also from time to time passes in time