Stress in the parents' lives can decrease the amount of time and attention parents can give the children and increase sibling rivalry.

Not having time to share regular, enjoyable family time together (like family meals) can increase the chances of children engaging in conflict.

Children often fight more in families where parents think aggression and fighting between siblings is normal and an acceptable way to resolve conflicts.

For example, one child may remind a parent of a relative who was particularly difficult, and this may subconsciously influence how the parent treats that child.

Children may not know positive ways to get attention for a sibling or how to start playful activities, so they pick fights instead.Children who are hungry, bored or tired are more likely to become frustrated and start fights.Your children’s developmental stages will affect how mature they are and how well they can share your attention and get along with one another.Children may feel their relationship with their parents is threatened by the arrival of a new baby.Children feel they are getting unequal amounts of your attention, discipline, and responsiveness.They want to show that they are separate from their siblings. As they discover who they are, they try to find their own talents, activities, and interests. Each child is competing to define who they are as an individual.There are many factors that contribute to sibling rivalry:

Working things out with siblings gives your children a chance to develop important skills like cooperating and being able to see another person’s point of view. Sibling rivalry usually continues throughout childhood and can be very frustrating and stressful to parents.įortunately, there are lots of things parents can do to help their kids get along better and work through conflicts in positive ways.įurther, most likely your kids’ relationship will eventually develop into a close one. Problems often start right after the birth of the second child. It is a concern for almost all parents of two or more kids. Sibling rivalry is the jealousy, competition and fighting between brothers and sisters.

Do Like Kyla by Angela Johnson