Are My Kids Having Normal Sibling Rivalry?

Nothing can be more rewarding than to see your family treat each other with love, respect, understanding, abidance of house rules, and openness among everyone. For a family relationship-centered parent, the joy that this situation brings is something worth more than any amount of money. This is priceless. Unfortunately, things, especially these days, do not work out just the way the above example illustrates. There have been so many intrinsic and extrinsic factors that influence the behaviors of each individual and the family unit. Nowadays, if you are a parent, you may have a hard time raising your kids because of the negative attitudes they’ve adopted from outside your home. There is nothing like trying to protect them from the outside world and then hearing the first time they come home from school saying or doing something to make your jaw drop.

There are times when you will get frustrated with the way your kids negatively interact with each other. They often have unexplainable rivalry among them. Some people would simply ignore it and make themselves believe that it’s a normal thing. Sometimes these rivalries are harmless and a normal part of a sibling relationship.  As a parent you should know that those behaviors can also be harmful to your children’s development. It is important to talk to your friends who have kids with similar ages to find out if the behavior is truly “normal” and age appropriate.

If you don’t have friends you can ask or don’t think your friends would understand, you can call Long Beach Therapy and set up an appointment so that I can help you determine if it is truly something to be left alone or if the rivalry has become something you need to deal with.

To set up an appointment at Long Beach Therapy, please call 562-310-9741.