Sibling rivalry is a common enough occurence in nealry every family with two or more children. However, it is important for you as a parent, to deal with sibling rivalry in a positive manner so that the siblings grow up to love and respect each other. Here are some ways that you can use to defuse volatile sibling fights and arguments and develop loving relationships.
Never Take Sides – Rule number one is to never, ever take sides of one child. The other one will invariably feel hurt and angry. Instead, listen to both sides and empathize with each.
Be Impartial – Related to the first point, it is important for a parent to be neutral and fair. Only, if you feel that one child has really been unreasonable or hurtful, should you punish one and not the other. If both were fighting equally, then both should be disciplined and not the older or bigger one.
Spend Quality Alone Time with Each Child – This will help strengthen the parent-child relationship and also, enable you to understand each child independently. Moreover, if one child is feeling neglected or inferior, this quality time can be used to address that.
These are just some ways in which you as a parent can bring siblings close to each other and create a warm and cohesive family.