Parenting On Purpose

What Is Sibling Rivalry? This week we will discuss a topic that anyone who has more then one child will deal with, sibling rivalry.  We need to take a step back and realize that sibling rivalry is a normal behavior.  It can be used as a signal behavior for parents.  The children may be in need of attention, they may be blowing steam from a stressful day, and the behavior can simply mean that they are tired or bored. As a parenting team, we need to evaluate what our plan will be.  At what point are we going to get involved and what are the unacceptable behaviors?  We can look at this behavior as another training opportunity.  Our children need to be able to work some of these issues out on their own.   It is part of learning how to live in close proximity with another person.  If they do not learn at home their first experiences with this will be in the college dorm or when they get married.  There is a point where we as parents will need to step in for guidance.  We will spend the rest of this week discussing the balance of helping your children work out the issues of sibling rivalry.   Listen to today’s podcast for more insight on sibling rivalry.