Susie is crying because she wants the same toy as her big sister, Joy, and Joy is crying because she doesn’t want her to have the same toy. You think to yourself “what in the heck do I do?”
Sibling rivalry is all too common in households and can be extremely difficult to navigate. We have outlined a few tips to help calm the waters and cultivate a loving relationship between your children.
Spend One-on-One Time with Each Child
While you might feel like one child needs more attention than another, it is important to show equality in siblings. This will let them know that you love them just as much, and they don’t have to compete for your attention.
Let The Oldest Help with The Youngest
Grabbing a diaper, feeding the baby, and assisting with story time are three small tasks that could make a big difference. Allowing your oldest child to be hands-on with the youngest child early on helps them form a bond. It also teaches your children to always take care of each other which could come in handy when they’re older.
Don’t Force The Oldest To Help with The Youngest
Letting them help is one thing, but forcing them to help is another. Children are not live in babysitters. It is not their responsibility to take care of any other children you may decide to have. Forcing one child to help with the other is asking for trouble. That child will most likely resent you and it’s sibling.
Stay Out Of Arguments, Always Remain Neutral
Siblings argue a lot, often times about nothing. Choosing one side over the other can turn a small problem to an even bigger one. Children care a lot about what their parents think. You don’t want one child to feel like you favor the other. Let your children know that you love them, but they’re going to have to figure it out on their own. For smaller children, we recommend teaching them how to take turns expressing what’s bothering them and have them hug it out.
Don’t Compare Your Children
Every child is different. Just because one child did something a certain way doesn’t mean the other child should do the same. Comparing your children, especially in front of each other can cause self-esteem issues. It can also cause one child to feel inferior to the other.
Being a parent of multiples can be challenging, yet rewarding. Teaching our kids how to love and protect each other is one of the most important lessons we can teach. Yes, there will be days when they don’t like each other. A little sibling rivalry every now and then is normal. We just have to do our jobs as parents to make sure it does not get out of hand.
We couldn’t have said it better, that is why this is a direct repost from Growing Girls With Curls