5 Actionable Ways to Put an End to Sibling Rivalry
Are your children upset with each other and arguing by day’s end?
Sibling rivalry is fairly common, and quite frankly, it is one of the most difficult parts of the journey that is parenting. If you can relate, here’s a bit of help your way.
Keep reading to discover 5 ways you can put an end to sibling rivalry in your home!
Start Early
Ideally, the best time to start preparing your kid for the arrival of the new baby is even before the baby is born! Acquainting your kid about the arrival of a new one at an early stage itself can help him get more comfortable with the idea of it. As they both start growing, make sure you, as a parent, remind them both how they are equally important for you, and that they are not, in any way, competing for your love. Encourage them to take care of each other in different ways, help each other and be responsible towards each other.
Don’t Take Sides
This one’s super important- no matter what, don’t take sides or compare your kids- to each other or anyone. Taking sides is a surefire way to deepen the hurt and can make the strain of sibling rivalry worse. Treat each of your children with equal respect and love them all unconditionally. Hold them all accountable for their actions, and praise them all for the good behavior that they do. Remember that there will be a certain amount of rivalry between them almost always, and the key is to making them love each other more than anything else.
Emphasize Relationships
The atmosphere in your home is super important, and influences the way your kids behave. The next time there’s a fight between your kids, ask them- is this fight more important than the relationship you share? Is the anger worth your time? Is the thing that you’re fighting over (possibly a broken toy or choosing which TV show to watch) worth risking your relationship? The more you emphasize on the importance of the relationship that your children share with each other, the more they’ll learn to value it.
Have Fun Together
Having fun together as a family is a crucial aspect of a strong relationship. Make sure you plan annual holidays, have family pizza nights and play some board games together on weekends. The idea behind this is that these activities will help your kids get along with each other without getting into a fight, and who knows- you might also watch them grow stronger together and resolve old conflicts.
Practice Lifting Each Other Up
This one’s a super simple and actionable way to put and end to sibling rivalry! The next time you find your kids arguing and putting each other down, have them offer three compliments to their sibling for each instance that they put their sibling down. This may seem hard at first, but once you get your kids to start doing this, they will actually start to realize the good qualities within their own selves and their siblings, which will in turn, make them more tolerant to each other.
Sibling rivalry is hard and frustrating, but with these steps you can help strengthen your children’s relationships with their siblings.
