6 Ways to Stop Sibling Rivalry
The absence of rivalry is rare when there are siblings around in the family. Sibling rivalry can be healthy in reasonable amounts, but it can get out of hand if not handled properly. Here are few ways in which you can stop sibling rivalry between your kids.
1. Stop comparing your children
One of the first remedies of sibling rivalry has to come from within the family. Knowingly or unknowingly, family members tend to compare and contrast skill sets and qualities of siblings in front of them. This can be disastrous for the morale of one of the siblings and it can develop inferiority complex in his/her mind. To stop sibling rivalry between your kids, the first and foremost thing to do is to stop comparing them.
2. Don’t excessively praise one sibling in front of the other
Praising siblings in front of each other can be tricky to deal with, especially when appreciation goes out only to one child and not to the other. The child who doesn’t receive the praise can feel insulted. If a situation arises in which you need to pat the back of only one of your kids, make sure you do it when the other one is not watching.
3. Provide for both your kids equally, otherwise don’t
To give one child something and skip the other one can be a total deal breaker. Doing this will only increase sibling rivalry. One of your children will feel that he/she is being left out because you favor the other. Even on the occasion of one of your children’s birthday, make sure that you bring a little something for the other one too. None of your children should get the sense that you, as a parent, are taking sides.
