Sibling rivalry is a form of competition or jealousy that usually leads to the eruption of fights or quarrels between siblings. Its starts at childhood and if parents do not take measures to curb it, it may follow the siblings into their adulthood.
Siblings everywhere deal with disagreements because despite being from the same parent, they might have different attitudes towards life.
So what is the cause of this age-old problem?
Naturally, attention would shift from the present child to the new addition in the family especially if the previous child has reached an age where he or she no longer needs constant care. Its not something parents do voluntarily & most parents aren’t even aware of its occurrence.
FAVORITSM
This is the major cause of unrest between siblings. Parents always stand firm on the notion that they love their children all equally their children but reverse may be the case because certain factors contribute to how a parents connect with their children such as a shared common interest and gender.
You could find the male parent identifying more wit the male child and wanting to spend more time with them which could in turn leave the female child jealous. Children often show this jealousy by throwing temper tantrums and even go as far as physically hurting the sibling. Parents who foster a child may show favoritism towards their biological child while neglecting the adopted child causing animosity between them.
HOW TO TACKLE THE ISSUE
Parents must distribute care and attention equally. None of the siblings should be given special care and attention. In rare cases where a sibling might be disabled or needs extra attention, a parent should talk to the child and explain why that child needs more attention.
Parents should teach their children to work together rather than pitting them against each other. Do not give them tasks separately and then reward the one who performs best. It is important to make them know that it is them against the world and not against each other.
Siblings throughout history have always always locked horns whether during childhood or all the way into adulthood. The first case of sibling rivalry must have been Cain and Abel from the bible where Cain. A jealous brother murders his own brother Abel because God favored Abel’s sacrificed and condemned his own.
