Children are usually very explicit when it comes to expressing themselves. They may not hesitate to express love, hate, sadness, jealousy, or other such emotions. It’s an absolutely normal reaction to have, and it should not be disregarded. It could be quite harmless, but it could be destructive too. Because jealousy is a complex and powerful emotion. It could lead to unhealthy competition, envy, and even hatred. Therefore, it’s essential to address it, so your kids understand how to navigate through it. Here are sixs ways in which you can help your child overcome their jealousy towards a sibling:
1.Say No To Comparison: One of the worst things you can do to your children is to compare them. Every child is different, and you have to learn to appreciate them for who they are. If you start to compare your kids, they might become overly competitive and start feeling like they’re being pitted against each other.
2.Divide responsibilities equally: If the children fight with one another, it can’t be the case that only one is guilty in the conflict . Besides, the roles of “victim” and “bully” often switch among siblings. So, specialists suggest that parents get to the core of the conflict and make both sides face responsibilities for their actions.
3.Listen to your children and respect their feelings: During a fight, most children are frustrated and emotional. Listen to your children and respect their feelings. Although their emotions are not an excuse for negative or aggressive behavior, children will be more likely to cooperate if they feel they are being heard. If your child starts to ʜɪᴛ, reiterate that violence is not tolerated and is not acceptable. Tell them that using their words is the only way to solve a problem and you’ll be there to hear them out.
4.Show them that it is great to have a sibling: You can motivate a caring relationship between them by reading books and showing cartoons about how it is great to have siblings, teachers advise. And shows the importance of the sister’s relationship.
5.No Place For Gender Bias: Parents often treat children differently based on their gender. Girls are expected to be soft, shy, and pretty, and boys are expected to be strong and not express their feelings. But if you don’t let your son play with the same toy as your daughter because the toy is ‘for girls,’ the boy may start to become jealous . Teach them about equality, respect, consent, and kindness from a young age. They should know that these values are important irrespective of any gender.
6.Accept The Emotions: jealousy is a very real emotion, and your children feeling it is not strange. When you notice your kid is jealous of their sibling, accept the emotion and tell them that what they’re feeling is valid. They should understand that it’s absolutely normal to feel negative emotions. Teach them to cope with those feelings so that they can learn to deal with them in a healthy way.
7.Make your child laugh: Everyone loves a good laugh! When your child is acting out because of jealousy, try to switch up the topic and make them laugh. This technique can be tricky because it could make the child feel that you’re making fun of them if you do not handle the situation delicately.
8.Spend Quality Time: Most of the time, children feel jealᴏᴜs of their siblings because their attention gets divided uneqᴜally. To ensure this doesn’t happen, keep a tab on how much time you spend with each child and make sure that it’s balanced. What’s also important is how to spend that exclusive time with them.
