Who is a good friend ? Come to think of it, whenever we think of the word ‘sibling’ we automatically assume that the next word in the sentence would be ‘rivalry’! It’s as if these two words don’t look nice when they are used alone in a sentence but work best when used in tandem. It need not be so. Siblings can be friends. Yes bringing up a couple or more number of kids is definitely a challenge. There will be the occasional fights. There will be occasions when the tantrums could get onto your nerves. However, there are certain tips using which you can turn this rivalry into friendship. Let us take a closer look on how to do this.
Make the elder one feel responsible:
Always try and make the elder one feel loved. Just because a younger one has come doesn’t mean that the elder one is to be neglected. Make the elder child feels important. Tell the elder one that he or she is also responsible for caring for the new baby. This will make them feel good, by increasing their self-esteem, while also allowing for a cordial relationship with the sibling.
Promote camaraderie and not rivalry:
Isn’t it ironical that we as parents keep talking about the difficulties that sibling rivalry brings about, but there are occasions when our actions may be promoting it. Praising one child for example, for scoring more marks, asking the other one to learn, etc., is a strict no, no. For that matter comparison with any other child is best avoided. Make all your children feel important. Treating everyone in a fair manner is the key here. If you are child has done a mistake then point it out. Similarly, if there is something praiseworthy, then do so by all means. Create a good rapport among them and they could be the answer for “who is a good friend ?”
Playtime Together:
Of course there is nothing to beat sports, when it comes to teaching the sporting spirit. Make sure that your children spend some quality time playing together. You too can join the fun. In fact, there is nothing like play to strengthen the family bonds. Parents can really know how much time that they spend with their kids.
Teach them empathy:
This is something that is very important. Children need to be taught about empathy right from a young age. They need to put themselves into their sibling’s shoes and understand what he or she is feeling. The importance of caring for each other and the willingness to share things with each other is what stems from having empathy.
Give them a patient hearing:
In general listening is very significant in friendship and also plays a major role to be a part in “Who is a good friend ?” This is another important point to remember. More often than not parents tend to blow up their fuse whenever there is a squabble within the siblings. It is understandable given the hectic schedules and stressful lifestyles these days. However, this is the time to stay calm. This is the time to bring to table all your conflict resolution skills. Give a patient hearing to the warring parties and then give a final, fair decision. Make sure that also explain to the other child about what they did wrong and what is it that they need to change in their behavior.
Distraction as a calming tool:
This is an age old trick that still works. Just as you feel that things are getting out of hand between two kids, take both of them away from the place. Take them for example, to a neighbourhood park or for an ice cream. There is nothing to beat a change of place to calm down nerves.
Off-course siblings can be good friends and can also be the best answer for ” who is a good friend .”
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