How to Handle Sibling Rivalry Effectively
Sibling Rivalry can be one of the most challenging child rearing issues.
Many parents feel the only way to keep order is to become a referee.
The problem here is, what do you do if you did not see who started the fight or argument? When you take sides you are automatically make one child the "bad one" and you are missing the opportunity to train your children to work out their disagreements together.
All brothers and sisters will have times where they are at odds.
This is normal.
The more you intervene the more often it will happen because the interpretation of the children is wow look at all the attention this gets! There are several ways for you not to let it get out of hand and you can use discipline without grounding.
No child is the same they all have different needs.
How they relate to each other is directly connected to these needs.
Younger children are more concerned about their toys and react when one is taken away.
Older children are big on fairness and being treated equally.
When the teen years hit they are concerned with being independent.
One you are clear about the identities of your children you can better assess the best way to handle the situation.
There are a few parenting strategies to try out when fights ensue.
Avoid getting involved as much as possible unless of course a child is in danger.
You run the risk of them waiting for you to fix the situation and relying on you to do it every time.
If it is necessary for you to step in encourage them to handle it themselves.
Don't try and find who is to blame for the incident, it takes two people to fight everyone who is involved is responsible.
Learning how to deal with these issues on their own is a valuable life lesson.
Your children will learn how to compromise and see another point of view.
On the other side of the coin you can help siblings get along.
You can establish basic rules for accepted behavior like no yelling or calling each other names.
Let them know that there are consequences if they don't adhere to the rules.
If hitting is an issue, make sure that spanking is not part of your discipline.
When you hit a child, you are a role model for using physical violence as a method to settle things.
They need to understand that sometimes it's not always fair or equal.
Make sure you give individual time to each child and do the activities they enjoy.
Give them their own space and time to do their own thing.
Sometimes fights can be too frequent and families may need more help.
There is a possibility of emotional or psychological issues that you cannot handle on your own.
If this rivalry is affecting the family on a regular basis it may be time to seek professional parenting advice.
Many parents feel the only way to keep order is to become a referee.
The problem here is, what do you do if you did not see who started the fight or argument? When you take sides you are automatically make one child the "bad one" and you are missing the opportunity to train your children to work out their disagreements together.
All brothers and sisters will have times where they are at odds.
This is normal.
The more you intervene the more often it will happen because the interpretation of the children is wow look at all the attention this gets! There are several ways for you not to let it get out of hand and you can use discipline without grounding.
No child is the same they all have different needs.
How they relate to each other is directly connected to these needs.
Younger children are more concerned about their toys and react when one is taken away.
Older children are big on fairness and being treated equally.
When the teen years hit they are concerned with being independent.
One you are clear about the identities of your children you can better assess the best way to handle the situation.
There are a few parenting strategies to try out when fights ensue.
Avoid getting involved as much as possible unless of course a child is in danger.
You run the risk of them waiting for you to fix the situation and relying on you to do it every time.
If it is necessary for you to step in encourage them to handle it themselves.
Don't try and find who is to blame for the incident, it takes two people to fight everyone who is involved is responsible.
Learning how to deal with these issues on their own is a valuable life lesson.
Your children will learn how to compromise and see another point of view.
On the other side of the coin you can help siblings get along.
You can establish basic rules for accepted behavior like no yelling or calling each other names.
Let them know that there are consequences if they don't adhere to the rules.
If hitting is an issue, make sure that spanking is not part of your discipline.
When you hit a child, you are a role model for using physical violence as a method to settle things.
They need to understand that sometimes it's not always fair or equal.
Make sure you give individual time to each child and do the activities they enjoy.
Give them their own space and time to do their own thing.
Sometimes fights can be too frequent and families may need more help.
There is a possibility of emotional or psychological issues that you cannot handle on your own.
If this rivalry is affecting the family on a regular basis it may be time to seek professional parenting advice.
