Guest Author - Susan Thompson

There is no escaping it, where there are siblings, there will be rivalry. When my children were small they fought over everything, from who got the first ice cream cone, to where they were sitting in the car.

Although all of the bickering may be making you crazy, sibling rivalry is normal and possibly helpful to the development of your children. Most things in childhood are learning experiences and dealing with one’s sibling is no different.

So how do you get through these years without going totally insane? This may sound crazy, but stay out of it. As long as no one is getting injured and they are fighting fair, let them deal with it. Yes there may be times when you should step in but for the most part, kids will learn to problem solve on their own. If you step in when it is not necessary your children will think you are taking sides and also they will come to you with every little issue between them.

When it comes to giving attention, try to spend some alone time with each of your children every week. Whether it is just talking, reading, or another activity you enjoy doing together. Individual attention shows your child that they are special to you in their own way.

Support each of your child’s interests. Just because one of your kids likes baseball, does not mean they all will. Encourage them to try things that interest them as individuals. Also encourage the siblings to support each other’s activities. The boys should attend their sister’s dance recital and the girls should cheer their brother on during his game.

At this point I would like to tell you the story that inspired this article. My three children are all two years apart. There were days when they were younger that I thought they would possibly never talk to each other when they were older, let alone be friends. The other day there was a blood drive at the high school. My oldest son saw my daughter getting ready to give blood and noticed that she looked nervous. He went and stayed with her while she gave blood and was there to catch her when she fainted afterward. The nurses took pictures of them because they thought it was the sweetest thing they have ever seen. I cannot tell you how proud I was of my normally too cool son for taking care of his sister. That day I realized that I definitely did something right.