Courtesy of OhBabyMagazine.com

Relationships between brothers and sisters are often made of complicity, happy memories and bonding. However, we have to admit that these relationships sometimes have their share of jealousy and rivalry.

A certain dose of rivalry is healthy in brothers and sisters since it pushes self-assertiveness in children. Some studies have even demonstrated that encouraging equality in your children can nourish rivalry!

First of all, let’s make one thing clear: no parent can love his children exactly the same way. It does not mean loving one of your children less and it is not a crime. It is just reality. You love your children differently, that’s all! The same thing goes for your brothers and sisters or your friends. Knowing this, you can expect to be unfair sometimes when it is time to rule out an argument and that is why you must be careful and solve problems…not create them.

In addition, there is no ideal age gap between children. If your children are close in age, they might be very united but also very jealous. If there’s a significant age gap between your children, they will have less and less things in common as they grow up. A good age difference is considered to be between two years and three and a half years.

To read the rest of the article and helpful tips on sibling rivalry, click here.

http://www.ohbabymagazine.com/toddler/rivalry-between-siblings/