Siblings Without Rivalry: How to Help Your Children Live Together So You Can Live Too

And so, even though I admired him so much, I mustered every ounce of my strength to fight him. I felt I had to do everything in my power to get back at him—to hurt him before he could hurt me.

Don’t get trapped by “togetherness.”

BROTHERS AND SISTERS NEED TO HAVE THEIR FEELINGS ABOUT EACH OTHER ACKNOWLEDGED Child: I’m gonna kill him! He took my new skates. With words that identify the feeling “You sound furious!” or With wishes “You wish he’d ask before using your things.” or With symbolic or creative activity “How would you feel about making a ‘Private Property’ sign and h

Start by acknowledging the children’s anger towards each other. That alone should help calm them. 2. Listen to each child’s side with respect. 3. Show appreciation for the difficulty of the problem. 4. Express faith in their ability to work out a mutually agreeable solution. 5. Leave the room.

Dad: You think that babies have everything done for them and that being a baby is fun. Michael: Yes. Daddy would you like to be a baby or not?

Don’t withhold your affection or attention from your “favorite child” in order to make it up to a less favored child. Some

Why in the world would I encourage him to view himself as being somehow superior to his brother? Was it because I was feeling sorry for him, all alone in that little dormitory room? So sorry that I had to give him a boost at his brother’s expense?

She never even asked me how I felt about her sisters. She just wanted to know how much I valued her.

Mother: That must have hurt your feelings. You wish he’d tell you in a nice way that he wants to be alone.