How To Help Reduce Sibling Rivalry
Being a parent is an ever-evolving game. When you have your first,both the most satisfying and challenging thing you ever do. I know I was both more fulfilled and exhausted than I’d ever thought I could be!
The funny thing is, you think that the second time round, it’ll be a bit easier: you’ve ma
Unfortunately, you still have to deal with potential rivalry between siblings – especially if they’re both the same sex! Whilst you’ll never be able to eliminate it totally, following these tips certainly helped me at least minimize the problem!
The first thing to bear in mind is that you should never compare your young ones with each other: if you do that, then they certainly will! Remember, it’s quite likely that they’ll have unique areas that they thrive in, just as much as they’ll have areas in which they struggle. If you treat them as individuals, they’re far more likely to think of themselves as being so.
Always making time to pay your little ones compliments when they’re behavingaround each other is a great idea, too. It can be pretty hard work dealing with the rivalry, but try not to use their good behavior as an excuse for a lie down (however tempting it might be!). If you reinforce this behaviour, they’re a lot more likely to carry it on!
Another good way to help all of the kids feel special is to try and give them a bit of alone time with you, to help remind them how important they are to you – even though they have to share your attention. I used to find that taking them in turns along with me to do the weekly shop was a good idea – not only did they get the alone time, they’d also stop the arguing every time the shop came around!
The last thing I’d recommend (and remember, this was just something that worked for me!) is to, wherever possible, let your young ones sort out their differences independently. Learning to do this is a really useful skill for them to learn, even if it’s definitely a bit of a wrench for mom the first few times! By all means still intervene if necessary, but giving your children the opportunity to work out things out of their own accord is an important part of their development.
Bio
Natalie Kirkham is a freelance writer and mother of two based out of the UK,
who currently works with Life Insurance Quotes, a company she first
encountered when looking for good life insurance rates.
USA [email protected]
