Tips For Parents To Survive The Stress Of Sibling Rivalry

In the highly competitive modern times, most parents feel the pressure seeping into their own homes as they see their kids compete with each other. While healthy competition between siblings can help the children to face the challenges of the outside world, most parents also have to deal with the stress of rivalries and bickering that often arise due the extreme competitiveness of the kids. The following tips can prove helpful to parents to not only minimize the bickering but also handle the resulting stress quite effectively.

1. Parents need to understand that each child is unique and create this awareness amongst the kids as well with respect to themselves as well as their siblings. This will help each child to better appreciate the qualities of their brother or sister and co-exist in a relatively peaceful manner.

2. Anger is a natural expression and suppressing it in kids can only complicate things. In case of a disagreement, parents should allow their kids to vent their anger, while ensuring that the siblings do not behave in a cruel or dangerous manner towards each other. Parents should counsel the kids about individuals having a right to have their perspective of things and accepting the same.

3. Unless the kids are actually, about to hurt each other seriously, they should avoid interfering in the bickering or the ongoing rivalry between their kids. It is best to let the children resolve their issues on their own as it not only helps in strengthening their ties but also helps them to learn from their mistakes.

4. Promoting the sense of guilt in kids should be avoided at all costs as it will not only ruin their self confidence but will also create long lasting issues in their relationship with their siblings. Parents need to make the kids understand that feelings and actions might not always work well together and hence need to be prioritized as per their significance.