Having multiple children can be a wonderful thing until… they don’t get along with each other.
Having difficult and strained sibling relationships in the home can be a very dividing thing and it can lead to a lot of stress and tension amongst everyone.
The best thing that we as parents can do is tend and nurture these sibling relationships in a way that helps decrease tension and increase communication skills.
Children are different from each other and that is ok. Just as we don’t get along with every adult and get frustrated with other adults in our space, children do the same.
The better we handle these things the better the outcomes will be for the whole family.
Better sibling relationships lead to a happier and calmer atmosphere in the home, it helps our children develop crucial social skills, and it helps them learn how to handle conflict and discomfort. All of this is invaluable as our children go through life and grow up.
Here are some positive ways that you can nurture your children’s relationships with each other.
Encourage good communication
When children argue and disagree, it is important that rather than stop them completely, we instead encourage good and healthy communication.
Encourage both of your children to stand up for themselves and say what they feel. If they are uncomfortable with something, empower them with the tools to be able to express this.
If one child is being unnecessarily aggressive or rude, don’t allow this and offer them kinder alternatives instead.
Disagreement isn’t in itself toxic or bad, but unhealthy disagreement is. Set your children up with tools to communicate and you will be setting them up to deal with life down the line too.
Allow each child to have their own space
Each child is different and that is ok, they should be treated as such.
If your children are feeling very upset by each other on a regular basis, it might be due to the fact they need more space for themselves.
Allow your children to take time for themselves, to decompress and be alone, and spend one on one time with each of them.
Everyone has different social meters and some people’s run out a lot quicker than others. If a child is overwhelmed they are more likely to engage in fighting and arguing.
Allow them to take space whenever they need it.
Set boundaries
While encouraging your children to disagree and resolve conflict is a good thing, remember you are the parent in the situation and you need to set boundaries around what is appropriate and what isn’t.
Physical aggression, name-calling, biting, nipping, and stealing from each other will never be acceptable and your children need to know that.
While you encourage good behaviour, make sure bad behaviour is not rewarded and is not accepted too.
This should in time cut down on such behaviour and allow your children to maintain a healthier relationship with each other.
Encourage bonding activities
Even though children are different from each other and should have their own interests, it is also important to encourage your children to spend time bonding together. You can facilitate this by giving them fun activities they need to work on together or taking them on days out or trips together.
If your children can have fun together despite their differences, this will really help nurture their overall relationship.
Which is good news for everybody involved.
