HOW TO HANDLE SIBLINGS RIVALRY
“My kids are always fighting with each other”, one mother told me the other day.
As parents we often spend so much time intervening in siblings upset.
I also know as parents, we all want our children to get along, however that’s not the case in most home
So what can we do without taking sides?
How can we make sure that they are communicating with one another without using punishment or threats.
If you have been struggling with sibling rivalry today’s post is for you.
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WHAT NOT TO DO 👇
❌ Don’t take side or blame, even if you think you saw what happened. (DON’T EVER TAKE SIDE❗️)
❌ Do not tell one off in front of the other(s)
❌ Don’t encourage competition between or among them (make sure you let them know that they are not in competition with each other)
Each child is unique and they have different abilities.👌
WHAT TO DO 👇
✅ Pay attention to your kids to see when it is that they fight and what sorts of things make them fight.
Do they tend to fight every morning at breakfast time? Maybe you should give them something else to focus on while they eat.
✅Spend quality time alone with each child
Even if it is only 15 minutes a day or so. A short amount of time could teach you so much about their personalities.
✅Teach them how to compromise, how to empathize and how to apologize. (This is very important❗️)
✅Reward them for being kind to each other
Rewarding positive behavior means that you are encouraging them to be better.
✅Let them work things out on their own
Not all sibling arguments require your intervention. Letting them practice conflict resolution is good practice for their relationships not just with each other but also with their friends.
As long as they are not hurting each other, you can try to leave them to resolve things on their own.
💥My final thought
Dealing with sibling rivalry as a parent is always tricky.
Siblings don’t fight necessarily because they don’t love each other.
It’s because they don’t know how to express the anger that arises with conflict.
You can tell them that the anger they feel is valid, but it’s not okay to lash out at other people.
Teach them the following techniques to express anger:
✅Walk away from the place
✅Take deep breaths
✅Count from 1-10 (slowly)
✅Express their hurt in words (e.g; “I don’t like it when you took my things without asking)
✅Write/draw their feelings in a paper ( for older kids, get them a journal to write down their feelings. Journaling helps)
✅Punch a pillow or a stuffed toy (this may sound crazy, but they needed a place or something to release those anger on.
By punching a pillow they are letting go of the anger they may be feeling at that moment)
They can go into their room and punch their pillow, they will feel better after that, try it.
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💥IS SIBLING RIVALRY NORMAL?
Sibling rivalry is normal.
However, it can become a problem, particularly among children who are the same gender and close together in age.
💥The good News is that:-
Fighting between young children usually decreases as they get older and learn more language, tolerance and social skills.
Please remember that the goal of siblings rivalry is to:
💥 To get your attention
💥 To get you on their side
So don’t worry, now that you know how to help them with this crucial time of their life.
❇️They are counting on you o and watching your actions.
Please and please, don’t take side and try to treat them equally 😊
How do you manage sibling rivalry between your children?👇👇👇
Thanks
Olu 🥰❤️
#siblingrivalry
#parentingtips
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#positiveparentingwitholu
Positive Parenting With Olu 