Sibling rivalry has been around for a long time – maybe ever since time began. If you’re familiar with the story of Cain and Abel, that is one of the earliest stories ever told about sibling rivalry. This type of rivalry, along with snotty noses and tantrums, is part of what I like to call “parenting package”.

There are different faces to sibling rivalry. It could be a fight on who gets to play with a toy, who gets to choose the TV show or who gets to choose in a particular spot on the couch. Fighting and rivalry is common among siblings, but this doesn’t mean that it’s a breeze to handle. This type of rivalry sure could cause stress on the parents, but there are ways on how you can handle it.

IGNORE

If no one’s physically hurt, it’s best to ignore the fight and let the kids handle their thing. Sometimes, parents are over protective and want to end the conflict ASAP but there are times when it’s best that you let the kids handle it themselves. Often, siblings just forget about the fight and go on with their lives as if nothing happened. Not meddling saved you a lot of stress, plus you taught the kids how to handle conflicts among themselves.

MAKE A SCHEDULE

One of the most common things sibling fight over is who gets to use the computer first, or who gets to hold the remote control. Commonly, the older child wants to monopolize everything, but letting him is not a good way to be fair. In our home, we set a schedule or a time limit on who gets to use what first.

My kids love playing computer games. What we do is that we let one child play first, but she needs to let her sibling play after she uses all her game credits. “Take turns” is also a rule at home. Although there are some hesitations at first, my kids understand what it means and follow it when I or my spouse reminds them about it.

Find out more about three year-old behavior at this suggested website about better parenting.