How can sibling rivalry be minimized?
Rivalry between children has been around since CainFirstborn son of Adam and Eve (Genesis 4:1), he was a farmer, or tiller of the ground. He committed the first recorded murder when he killed his younger brother, Abel (Genesis 4:8). After the murder of his brother, Cain settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden. killed his brother AbelThe second born son of Adam and Eve, he was a shepherd (Genesis 4:2). He was murdered by his brother Cain (Genesis 4:8). (see Genesis 4). Dr. James Dobson, founder and chairman of Focus on the Family, describes sibling rivalry as "the most irritating feature of childrearing." Continuing, he writes, "The underlying source of this conflict is old-fashioned jealousy and competition between children" ( The New Strong-Willed Child , 2004, p. 139).
To minimize the conflict, he makes three recommendations for parents:
1. Don't inflame the natural jealousy of children by making continual comments that describe one child as superior to another. Beauty, intelligence, and physical abilities such as athleticism are especially sensitive topics.
2. Establish a workable system of justice at home. Children need to know that they can count on their parents to demand and enforce rules of the home for all children.
3. Recognize that the hidden 'target' of sibling rivalry is you. Conflict is often a method of manipulating parents and a way to get their attention" (ibid., pp. 142-147, emphasis added).
