Is theresiblingrivalry between your children? Read on to know what siblingrivalry is and how to deal with fights between siblings. Find somesiblingrivalry solutions in this interesting article. Read how parents can reduce and controlsiblingrivalry. At times, your children might adore each other and at other times they may seem to hate each other. Although,siblingrivalry exists, there are many cases wheresiblingsarebest friendstoo. What isSiblingRivalry? Siblingrivalry has existed since ages, ever since the existence of families itself.Siblingsfight, sometimes they get jealous of each other and even have feelings of competitiveness with each other. Sometimes, the reason for the sibling rivalrycould be to compete for the attention and love of one parent or both. Some children are very close to their parents and want the mother and father only for themselves. They do not want to share the parents with anybody else. Reasons for Sibling Rivalry Jealousy One of the mostcommonreasonsforsiblingrivalry is want for attention. One child might feel jealous of the other child because he feels that the other one is getting more attention from parents.Age Sometimes the big age gap betweenchildrencan become a reason forsiblingrivalry. When the children are younger, they might be happy to play with each other. But as they grow older, theirdifferencesincrease. An example of this would be the following. An oldersiblingmight bring their friends home, but the youngersiblingmight constantly intrude upon them and not give them space. The youngersiblingmay also want to be there along with them in the same room which may make the oldersiblingangry and irritated and thus result in a fight between the two.Opposite Sex Fights between children of opposite gender arecommon. Generally fathers are more protective and gentle towards daughters which the sons may not like and feel bad about.Ownership Acommonreason forsiblingfighting is fight over belongings. The younger siblingmight have snatched the toys of the othersibling. The parents may have brought a set of dolls for their two daughters. Fights could arise because each sister wants the nicer and prettier doll. If thesiblingsare older, and there is only onecomputerin the home, it can lead to a fight over who gets to sit on the computer.Individual temperament and tastes Differencesin personality may also be a reason which causes fights. Onesiblingmay be very calm and composed and the other one may be one who gets excited easily. Ifsiblingsare sharing a room and onesiblingis very fond of music and wants to play loud music, but the othersiblingdoes not like loud music, it may result in a fight. Common Mistakes Parents Make These are some dont’s for parents facing sibling rivalry:Do not make comparisons Do not for example say, when Tapu was your age he used to stand first in the class every time. Every child is unique and no child likes to be compared to other children. Comparisons might lower self-esteem and act as a catalyst for moresiblingrivalry. Comparisons may hurt feelings and sadden the child who is being compared.Do not play spectator Sometimes, parents may think that they should not interfere in the children’s fights. Parents need not interfere or take sides. But, if the physical safety of either child is threatened, or they begin to get verbally abusiveparentsmust step in and take a practical decision to solve the argument.How to controlSiblingRivalry? Parents must spend time alone with each of the children. Spending time alone with each child means a lot to the children. While solving fights parents should take time andlisten toboth the children and both points of view before coming to a conclusion. Parents should teach their children that they should resolve fights peacefully without resorting to hitting, slapping or verbally abusing. Parents must try to engage thesiblingsthroughfamilygames or activities. Whensiblingsshare more experiences and become closer to each other, they will resolve their fights faster and fight less. Although they may fight occasionally or there is a lot ofsiblingrivalry,siblings are known to help each other and be there for each other when the other one needs them. In fact, children who havesiblingsare seen to be more co-operative with other children because they already have asiblingat home and know how to share and be adjusting.