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sense it allows the child to live a life that is more well rounded and whole.

A child who is always bossy or mad with their friend, may reflect the way a parent is with them. A child can act out their stress by being cross with the imaginary playmate.

Should parents be concerned?

Pantyhose presented numerous problems for a family of seven, particularly when it came to riding in the car - space became a major issue, and we often had to deal with tears when Pantyhose was told "there's not enough room for you!"

But my sister became quite creative in her problem solving when it came to the car. Pantyhose started to ride on the roof or run at miraculous speeds beside the car window.

In general, imaginary friends are a natural part of childhood development. They present a creative outlet for stress, and support socio-emotional development. They can even provide an observant parent with clues on how a child is coping with life.

As a child gets older, they tend to ditch the imaginary friend for the real world. It's always a good idea to ensure a child is also choosing friends and activities that belong to the real world too! The key is to encourage a balance between play that is imaginary and real.

What to do when a friend comes to stay

The relationship between a child and imaginary friend is very personal. It's important to allow the child to indicate whether you are invited to join their interaction or not.

In our case, we were all expected to be aware of Pantyhose and provide the space for her, but we were never invited to play with her. If you are however, asked to play, then by all means - have fun! Otherwise respect your child's right to space and privacy.

Children should always be taught responsibility even when the imaginary friend is too blame. Any mess for example should be cleaned up by the friend and the child. And the parent, not the friend, should remain responsible for setting rules like bed time, brushing teeth, no more sweets.

You may be asked to provide things for the friend, like a plate, food or a drink - or, as was the case with Pantyhose, you may be expected to provide space or seating.

While participating in a way that supports your child's imagination, don't over do it. Be careful not to create the story', this should be left for the child to work out or through. Parents better serve the child by remaining well grounded in the real' world.

French psychologist Jean Piaget believed young children had little sense of the boundaries between the real and imagined,

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