How to Cope with Sibling Rivalry
Some brothers and sisters are the best of friends. More than likely though, they are also the worst of enemies. It seems no matter how close or far apart in age your children are, there is always some degree of sibling rivalry going on between them.
You are definitely not alone. All across the world as you read this, there are children fighting for supremacy in their homes. Sometimes the situation can start before the new baby even arrives. You should expect your kids to compete for not only the affection of you and your spouse, but for so many other things as well.
What’s a Parent to Do?
You may feel as if you are at the end of your rope with the constant fighting going on between your children. Know that the condition is common and most probably will not last forever.
Don’t compare your children to each other. Accept the fact that they are unique individuals. Where one child may have strengths in athletics, another will have talents in other areas. Allowing your children to be individuals while celebrating those differences will go a long way in deciding how your children treat each other.
Children learn what they see and if your children’s fighting seems to be getting out of hand, look first toward yourself and your spouse to see if they are learning from your bad example. If parents treat each other with patience and kindness, children will quickly learn to treat one another the same way.
One thing you might notice is that no matter how much your children torment and torture one another, woe to the person who picks on a brother or sister. Older kids will protect their younger siblings at any cost against a third party intruder. Now that is what a mom and dad really want to see!
Filed under: Family Issues, Discipline
