Brothers and Sisters: 3 Easy Tips for Handling Sibling Rivalry
You will learn:
What is Sibling Rivalry
How Parents Contribute To Sibling Rivalry
3 Tips for Handling Sibling Rivalry
I am going to let you in on a little secret. As a parent, I messed up a lot. Parenting doesn’t come with a manual. It is on-the-job training; your youngsters will give you your most significant life lessons if you pay attention. 
I started my parenting journey by knowing how my parents parented, and I wasn’t going to parent my children the same way. I wanted to swing the pendulum the other way so my youngsters had higher self-esteem and self-worth. 
However, some parenting behaviours were inherent, such as spanking and yelling. One day, in a heated argument with my oldest daughter and husband, my husband brought my uncontrolled yelling to my attention. That was my aha moment when I started on the journey of self-discovery to be a better parent and, in doing so, also became a better person. 
What I remember mostly from my childhood was the hitting, name-calling, and unfair responsibility. As I have mentioned before, my mother was emotionally unstable and suffered from bouts of depression and anger issues. As the oldest of four, I took on many parenting responsibilities. This led to enormous conflict between my sister and brothers, causing all kinds of sibling rivalry. 
What is Sibling Rivalry?
Sibling rivalry occurs when siblings feel jealous, competitive, or resentful towards each other. They argue over toys, parents' attention, or what TV show to watch. It's important to understand that sibling rivalry doesn't mean siblings don't love each other; it's just a natural part of having brothers and sisters.
How Parents Contribute to Sibling Rivalry
I am not here to blame parents but to bring awareness to how we contribute to sibling rivalry. 

Jealousy: Sometimes, one sibling might feel jealous of the other. For example, if a younger sibling gets more attention from parents because they need more help with homework, the older sibling might feel left out.

Growing up, I was mostly happy and easy to get along with. My sister, on the other hand,  was more stubborn and difficult. Consequently, I received more attention from family and friends. My Mom made sure I knew how unfair it was to my sister, even though I did nothing wrong. Jealousy caused all kinds of resentment between my sister and myself. 
2. Competition: Siblings might compete for different things, like who is better at sports or who gets to sit in the car's front seat. Competition leads to arguments and hurt feelings.
You might relate to this if you have a sister. You are walking down the hall at school and see your sister wearing the outfit you bought with the money you earned. You were saving wearing it for a party coming up. She waited to dress until you left for school because she knew better. My sister wanted something that I had without having to work for it. 
3. . Avoid Comparisons: Every sibling has unique interests, talents, and personalities.  Try not to compare your children to each other. Celebrate each child's unique skills and accomplishments, and avoid playing favourites.
One child might work in finance and follow in your footsteps. One child might work in the arts. Value each child for their...

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