Sometimes it can feel like you're acting more as a referee between your children than a parent - you just need the whistle and a red card!
The perpetual bickering, jealousy and competition can be exhausting to parents. It often produces a lot of disharmony within the family and can be exasperating.
Though it can be stressful to deal with and can leave us questioning if we're even doing our job as parents right, there are some benefits to sibling rivalry.
It provides children with the opportunity to develop conflict-resolution skills from an early age.
Through disagreements and conflicts, siblings learn to communicate, negotiate, compromise, and find mutually satisfactory solutions.
It can expose children to challenging situations and emotions, fostering the development of resilience.
Siblings learn to handle disappointment, frustration, and jealousy in a supportive and familiar environment so that when they encounter these situations in later life they'll be about to bounce back.
Siblings serve as constant companions, offering opportunities for the development of social skills.
Through sibling rivalry, children learn important social dynamics, such as taking turns, sharing, and considering others' perspectives.
Arguing with your sibling often leads to verbal exchanges and debates.
In these moments, siblings practice their communication skills by expressing their thoughts, asserting their needs, and listening to others' perspectives.
It can teach children empathy and understanding. When conflicts arise, siblings have the opportunity to see situations from each other's viewpoints, understand their feelings, and see the impact of their actions.
Though sibling rivalry can be tough for us as parents to deal with, just because our kids bicker doesn't mean we're doing a bad job.
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