Joanna Fortune: My younger daughter lacks confidence and depends too much on her sister

Dr Joanna Fortune: Your children are still very young and developmentally within reach of each other so the fact that they feel connected and get along is, generally, a positive

My daughters are aged eight and 10. The younger one lacks confidence and finds it difficult to make friends. She’s happy to play with her sister but gets upset whenever she leaves to go on playdates or sleepovers. I’ve tried to reassure her she will have her own friends in time, but she doesn’t believe me. I’m also worried that my eldest daughter feels obliged to play with her lonely sister. I’m not sure which way to turn.

Typically we get questions about sibling rivalry but yours raises a different kind of sibling dynamic that can emerge in childhood — that of sibling co-dependency or, in your case, dependency as it appears to be one-sided. This is a term used to describe one or both siblings excessively relying on the other for emotional support.