Sibling Rivalry: Part Four

Sibling Rivalry is one part of parenting that isn’t mentioned much in that pre-parenting fantasy. It’s for the same reasons that they don’t show a beer belly in the Budweiser commercials or a full diaper in the Pampers ads. Get the picture? It’s not pretty is it? As with anything in life, when it comes to Keeping Sibling Rivalry to a Minimum, much of the battle is won by having the right attitude. Sometimes we actually set our children up to be bummed out with their life and their relationships with their siblings because we foster some unrealistic expectations. That leads us to Tip #5 in our blog series, Keeping Sibling Rivalry to a Minimum

5. We must help our children understand that life isn’t always going to be fair or equitable.

Once again, you are the role model for this attitude. So no more being ticked off when someone else has something nice happen to them and you want to say, “That just doesn’t seem right or fair”, instead of, “I am so happy for them. It couldn’t have happened to a nicer person”. It is what Tim calls abundant thinking versus scarcity thinking. Life is not a finite pie that gets smaller as people are served a piece of the happy pie. Instead, we must foster an attitude in our homes that affirms that there is enough happy pie to go around for everyone – even siblings. When this is the atmosphere in your home, kids aren’t so territorial and protective of their rights and stuff. It starts when they are little and we are teaching them to share. If kids are allowed to hoard things for themselves instead of seeing them as ways of blessing others, then they are going to be score keepers. And I can guarantee you that their way of keeping score is always going to be one sided. Even if life were completely 50/50 fair, they would not see it that way. Sharing comes easier to some and is like pulling baby teeth for others, but life is a whole lot more fun when possessions and privileges are seen as gifts not entitlements. Many parents wear themselves out trying to keep things equitable between their children in order to keep the peace. That, my friend, is a losing battle and the loser is you, the parent. The best thing you can do is give your kids an early taste of reality and let them know in no uncertain terms that life is not fair and it is not your job to make it fair for them. Sometimes good things happen to them and other times they happen to their siblings. The key to enjoying both times is to “rejoice with one another”. This can only happen when you are an example to your kids of gracious living and also make that the expectation of your home. When you do this, you take one of the trump cards out of the hand of the typical reasons for sibling rivalry. Kids will fight a whole lot less when they accept the fact that life isn’t fair and more importantly, that life isn’t even supposed to be fair. Keeping Sibling Rivalry to a Minimum 1. Make sure you are not teaching your kids to bicker by the way you treat your spouse. 2. Don’t compare siblings to each other in a negative way. 3. Don’t require your children to compete for your attention. 4. Don’t show preference of one sibling over another. 5. We must help our children understand that life isn’t always going to be fair or equitable. More to come…… Sibling Rivalry: Part One Sibling Rivalry: Part Two Sibling Rivalry: Part Three Sibling Rivalry: Part Four Sibling Rivalry: Part Five Sibling Rivalry: Part Six Sibling Rivalry: Part Seven Sibling Rivalry: Part Eight