How to Deal With Sibling Rivalry
If you have children, you've probably had to deal with sibling rivalry and squabbling. Even harmonious sibling relationships may have disagreements and squabbles.
A more serene family and sibling harmony may be attained with a little understanding and patience. Fighting and rivalry may be considerably reduced when a strong sibling relationship is created early on and children are taught how to manage disagreement with their siblings.
This extremely crucial family tie may blossom and become strong after children learn to work through their differences. Here are ways on how you can better manage sibling rivalry:
1. Identify sibling rivalry early on.
In some instances, parents may not notice the problem till it grows to its full magnitude and becomes a more serious issue. As soon as you observe signs of disagreement and fighting between siblings, take immediate steps and figure out ways on how to deal with it.
2. Educate your children about the importance of good sibling relationships.
Make sure that they understand that siblings need each other's support and friendship throughout their lives. A strong sibling relationship during childhood will also be beneficial for them when they reach adulthood because such ties can carry over even into adulthood.
3. Establish equality among your children.
This will help them so they can get along well with one another. Try to equitably distribute your time, attention, and love to every child. Treat them as fairly as possible because this will make them their friends instead of enemies.
4. Make it a point to discipline both parties when you see sibling strife.
Under such circumstances, believe that both children are partly responsible for the dispute and punish each one fairly based on what they did or who started the fight. Keep in mind that you also need to teach both children how to better handle disagreements with each other at an early age so that they can gain valuable life skills and learn how best to deal with conflicts in the future – whether these clashes happen between themselves or with others.
5. Help instill positive feelings among brothers and sisters.
By getting involved in their activities and interests, they can learn to communicate effectively with each other. Establishing a good rapport among siblings will greatly help them get their feelings out without having to resort to physical confrontation.
6. Set clear boundaries.
It is important that every child knows where he stands in relation to his siblings. You also have to define consequences if rules are violated so that he would be aware of the consequences should he not control himself if ever sibling rivalry arises again.
7. Create a support system such as family counseling.
This approach can help resolve sibling rivalry early on, so you can teach your children how to deal with disagreements and fighting before it gets out of hand. When prodded by a counselor who's an unbiased third party, children are more likely to talk about their conflicts instead of resorting to physical aggression.
8. Help your kids build self-esteem.
A confident child is less likely to feel envious or overprotective against his brother or sister when he has developed adequate coping skills in dealing with these types of emotions.
For many children, sibling rivalry can be a lifelong challenge that becomes more difficult to deal with as they grow older.
Without proper intervention, this problem could even turn into child abuse or adolescent delinquency, so it is important to guide your children through these stages.
Teaching siblings about the importance of sibling relationships is also an essential part of nurturing good relations among brothers and sisters so they can have a bright future together as friends instead of enemies.