Sibling Jealousy in Preschoolers

It is common for parents with preschool aged children, to tear their hair out over sibling jealousy. Preschoolers can be the best of friends one moment and then suddenly world war three explodes the next. And if we consider that most siblings usually spend a lot of time together, it is easy to see why jealousy can arise.

What causes Sibling Jealousy in Preschoolers?
Preschoolers do not develop many social skills until the age of 6 and are still learning to share, take turns and empathize with others between the ages of 3 and 5. It is important to know that between these ages, young children do not understand, recognize and express their own emotions.. Preschoolers are in the process of learning about their environment, often develop insecurities and fears that they do not know how to verbalize, and need a lot of a motivation and encouragement in order to develop healthy self-esteem and self-confidence. So if most preschoolers face these issues, their development becomes more complex when a sibling in the same developmental stages is thrown into the mix.

There are many reasons why sibling jealousy may arise. One sibling may try to assert their personality or opinions. One may feel jealous and left out since their younger brother or sister arrives. Or a sibling may feel that their parents give the other more attention, whether this is truly the case or not. Or simply, jealousy can arise due to preschooler's innate inability to share, take turns and empathize.

It is impossible to avoid sibling jealousy altogether, as it is a normal part of any sibling relationship.

However, there are certain things parents can do to prevent a negative environment from escalating or ease the effects of jealousy when it arises.

Talking to your children and setting firm and fair family rules, can go a long way in preventing some elements of sibling rivalry. As parents we take for granted, that our children understand that their sibling needs personal attention. In reality, young children need to have this explained to them. Telling your children why you are spending time with one child can help to ease feelings of jealousy that they do not understand.

In the same way, rules must apply equally to all children in the family and siblings should be disciplined with the same consequences. When disciplining our children we should try to be fair and not assume that one child holds the blame when we do not know the circumstances. It is common as parents to make comparisons or create competition between siblings without even realizing.

By modeling positive values and behavior, we teach our preschoolers how to behave. As parents we are responsible for showing preschoolers how to interact with respect, use communication skills to show their feelings and that everyone has their own valid place in the family structure.

Abigail Simmons is Author of Positive Parenting Secrets Book. She has helped many parents solve their parenting problem using her practical positive parenting techniques. To learn more about her parenting tips and techniques, please visit http://www.101parentingresources.com/

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