Parent

Sibling Rivalry Because of Social Activities

Sibling rivalry happens often in homes with more than one child and can be due to a plethora of reasons but sometimes it is because each child has different social activities. Once child can be into sports and have a certain group of friends with the same interests while the other child is into academics, theater or music and their friends are different as well.

These differences can cause children to argue or not get along well because their interests are so different from each other and of course, their friends are from different dynamics. One child may feel that the other one doesn’t understand their interests or that they are not as important because of what they like to do. It is important as parents to show equal praise and understanding for both children so that the sibling rivalry can be lessened. If one child believes that the parents are more proud of their siblings because of awards won or titles held, it can cause more issues than normal. That is why you must make sure that both children feel the same amount of love.

This can happen as well in households where one child is into many different activities and the other child isn’t into much at all. The child that doesn’t care for sports or academic clubs may feel left out or not as important and this can cause resentment. Always let your children know that they are important no matter what their interests in life even if it is something you didn’t expect them to enjoy or would rather them find another hobby. Children will choose what they like to do and while this can be surprising to some parents, let them find their own way. Allowing them to choose can make it easier to get along with their siblings by feeling accepted.

Filed Under: Parenting Tagged With: Child, Family, Home, Parent, Sibling

Can you stop your children from fighting with each other?

All siblings fight, if its not about one thing its about another, especially in families that have more than 2 children, they will fight about stupid stuff and they will fight about some serious stuff. First of all you should let your kids know that fighting isnt the solution to the problem, it just makes it worse.

Start by having house rules about fighting and make sure that the kids follow these rules. Remind the children that life is too short to fight and be angrywith one another. Let each child know you know how they feel, tell them stories about you and your siblings if needed, which could also get them to calm down while your telling a story. Expressing your frustrations to them doesntmean you have to yell, if you need to take a minute before talking to each child, so that you will not yell or be angry.

Another way to geet them to stop fighting is to threaten to separate them if they continue to fight, more than likely they will stop because they would rather stay together them be separated. This will happen more if they share a room and they are fighting over each other possessions, in this case you may want to designate there own space so that will minimize the fighting between them.

Also you should give each child there own one on one time with you so that they don’t feel that they have to fight for there parents attention, you should also never compare them to each other or that there a like, they want to be different from each other not the same.

Filed Under: Parenting Tagged With: Child, Parent, Sibling

When is the right time to discipline your kids…

There is a place and time, wrong a right way to discipline your children. Yelling at them in front of family and friends will only make them feel as though your embarrassing them. Education can be used as a disciplinary action, or even as a consequence for misbehavior. Have the child write out I will not be bad a certain number of time might make them not want to do what they did ever again.

expressing your disapproval can be another way of disciplining your children, When you let the children know that your not happy can sometimes make the children upset, most children want there parent approval, knowing that your unhappy will make them try to get your approval back, but dont take it to far and don’t get carried away with it or nag them.

After you have expressed your disapproval, have a conversation with them about why you are unhappy with them,make them understand what they did wrong instead of yelling at them, open communication is usually needed to change the child’s behavior. Separation also works well when there are more than one child or they are fightin over a toy, Separate the children and take away the toy, then when they are both calmed down bring them back together and explain why they were separated, hopefully they will be nicer to each other.

Lastly there’s the good old fashion time outs, putting them in time out gives them the time to cool off and reflect about what they did wrong, putting younger children in time out is a lot different then putting older children in time out.

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Filed Under: Discipline Tagged With: Behavior, Child, Parent

4 Rewards Your Child Will Love

Child psychologists have long dismissed the notion of punishing children for sibling rivalry. Siblings often misbehave for attention, either a parent’s undivided attention or more of a parent’s attention than their siblings receive.

A positive reward system accompanied by a reinforcement of the rules is a preferred method. What better way to reward siblings for behaving, than to give them each your undivided time and attention.

Taking Time to Listen

In mild cases of sibling rivalry, sometimes all it takes is getting to the root of the problem. Talk to the kids about what sets off the arguing between them.

Role-playing the Sibling Rivalry

Any parent will tell you that children love to act, whether they admit to it or not. Clever parents can encourage their children to dress up, in their own childrens costumes or in their parents’ clothes to act out their frustrations. To make it more interesting, have them play each other’s role as well as taking a turn playing their own part.

Planning Time Together

Tell your children that if they can go through one day without fighting, you will participate in an activity of their choice that day, no matter how busy you may be. Take suggestions from both and work out a deal to do one or both, while you choose the day.

Planning a Day Together

If they continue the behavior for a few days or more, plan an entire day together, free from work and school. Promise to take them to an amusement park, to the movies and out to lunch, or any activity that is a particular favorite for your kids.

Filed Under: Parenting Tagged With: Parent, Sibling

Ways to Discipline Quietly

As a every parent knows, children have the tendency to get out of hand at times, prompting a heated tongue lashing or sentence to the time-out corner. For parents, it’s not only the disobedience of their children that is so nerve-wracking but their own reaction as they raise their voice in anger. It creates quite a pickle for parents who want to discipline their children but at the same time don’t want to lose control and scare them. Parents should then follow the words of President Teddy Roosevelt: “Speak softly and carry a big stick.”

Parents need to be mindful in how they react to disobedience because children learn much better under calmer circumstances. In fact, studies have shown that spanking is damaging to a child’s development. Instead of resorting to such physical punishment or yelling, parents can discipline their children by having a simple conversation with them. An extensive discussion with a child has more effect than short loud bursts. The child learns what they did wrong and why it disappoints his or her parents, leaving more time to feel remorse; meanwhile, the parents can calmly get their point across and garner further insight as to what spurred their child’s action.

Giving rewards to children based on merit is another quiet affair. The teaching method of positive reinforcement provides children a blueprint on how to act appropriately and all the parent has to do for discipline is rescind the reward. It also gives children a goal to strive for, thus more of a reason to act obediently.

Filed Under: Discipline, General, Parenting Tagged With: Child, Family, Parent, Reinforcement

Turning a Sibling Rivalry Into a Positive

A common feature of a family is the sibling rivalry. Whether it’s for the love of their parents or an evolutionary instinct to survive, brothers and sisters have a tendency to go out of their way to best each other. Unfortunately, that intense competitiveness can lead to frayed relationships–between siblings as well as parents–and worst of all, someone being physically injured. However, the drive to be the family favorite can actually be channeled in a positive way. Consider that the sibling rivalry between Peyton and Eli Manning has produced two Super Bowl championships, and a close family. When parents sanction an area for their children to compete against one another, it will make everyone in the family stronger.

Image courtesy: http://www.flickr.com/photos/richteabiscuit/876248679/lightbox/

A positive outlet for sibling rivalries is sports. Parents should introduce their children to sports not only as a fun, physical activity, but also as a means for releasing their competitive spirits. It is unlikely siblings will meet head-to-head on the playing field, because of age differences, so they will have to take out their frustrations on their non-related opponents. Sibling rivalries in sports also helps build a support network in a family as everyone attends games and learns to cheer for each other, no matter how much they would like to beat them.

Parents should also encourage their children to compete with their brains. Any parent would love to see their sons and daughters reach the top of the class. And when it means beating out their sibling, so will their children. Of course, parents must show support regardless of test scores.

Filed Under: General, Parenting Tagged With: Child, Family, Parent, Sibling

Sharing Yourself with Your Children

Parents have to divide their time between children once there is more than one child. Along with sharing parents, children have to learn to share tasks, choosing the movie, playing with the puppy, all of which can contribute to sibling rivalry. Rivalry between siblings is normal and expected, but how the parents deal with it will determine the course of the fighting. Planning ahead, by scheduling things like who picks what topping go on the pizza, will diffuse problems before they start and lead to a more balanced, less stressful home life even with multiple children.

One of the biggest mistakes parents can make when trying to deal with or diffuse sibling rivalry is to treat both children the same. They are not the same. They are each an individual with their own personality, likes, dislikes, needs, etc. As the parent it is your job to spend time with both (or all) your children as a family, but also individually. This means, however, that the individual time and activities will not be the same. If you take Danny to a baseball game, it is OK to take Mike to a movie if Mike doesn’t like sports. The idea is to spend time with the child, doing something enjoyable in a one-on-one situation. Celebrate the successes and triumphs of each child, without comparison. Be proud of Billy for getting an A on his science test, but don’t expect Emily to get an A also. Instead be proud when she is the goalie for her soccer team and nobody scores against her. Both children are deserving of praise for their accomplishments.

Filed Under: Parenting Tagged With: Child, Parent, Sibling

Discipline Is One Of The Major Part Of Your Life

The importance of discipline in everyone’s life cannot be ignored in anyway. In every stage of life a person has to follow some disciplines to lead a good lifestyle. In ancient time when society was not civilized and people were arrogant because no disciplines were maintained in their life. With the advancement of society people started to follow some rules. In every civilized society there are some disciplines that have to be followed by the people. An arrogant person does not get any respect from his or her surrounded people. A society can never become improved if there are no strict disciplines.

Every parent should be careful to convince their children to follow the disciplines strictly. In most of the houses every family members have to maintain some rules. Every parent should convince their children to follow the discipline in every stages of life. When a child goes to a school he or she starts to learn about the disciplines of schools and society. Students can get punishment if they do not conscious to maintain the rules properly in school. A disciplined person can achieve a good and impressive personality. Discipline can enable a person to be settled in life.

Getting a good and healthy life is not possible if you do not maintain disciplines in your personal life. Your arrogant lifestyle can become harmful for your health and your family members. In every professional sector people have to be very conscious to maintain the rules properly. You should follow the office timing, dress code and many other things while going to office. No one can make you disciplined until you are not conscious about the importance.

Filed Under: Discipline, Parenting Tagged With: Child discipline, Parent, Personal life

Discipline Should Be Maintained Properly

Discipline is the basic thing that can makes a man perfect. There are some disciplines you need to follow to live in a better way in this civilized society. There was a time when people were uncivilized. They were not conscious about manners and discipline. With the advancement of time the world has changed from all prospective. Every society has some particular disciplines that have to be maintained by all. A man can who do not bother about discipline cannot gain any prestige from the society and surrounded people.

When a child takes birth in this world he or she starts to learn about the discipline from his or her parents. Every home has some discipline for the family members. As a parent you should convince your children to follow the disciplines properly. After knowing the essentiality of maintaining discipline a child can be convinced to do that. When a kid goes for taking primary education from a school he or she has to follow some discipline as a student. Maintaining proper discipline is one of the obvious things that every student has to follow. These disciplines can help all the students to be a proper from all prospective.

Bookish knowledge cannot make a student perfect if he does not follow the basic disciplines. In your personal life also you have to maintain some essential disciplines. Your lifestyle has a great effect on health. A person can never achieve a good and healthy life if he maintains a bad unhealthy lifestyle. Your lifestyle can create a great effect on your health. You should always be conscious about it. In your professional life you should always be conscious to follow the disciplines properly.

Filed Under: Discipline, Education Tagged With: Child discipline, God, Health, Parent

Who’s in Charge Here?

As parents, it falls to us to be in charge in our homes. I realize that may seem simplistic, but it’s amazing how few children understand it. Actually, if you analyze the actions of children, it seems that they think they are supposed to be in charge. Whether or not they succeed depends upon what the parents do to remove them from the throne.

Let me explain here; babies are naturally the most self-centered individuals in the world. All they have to do is cry, and their whole world jumps to meet their every desire. While this is necessary for a baby’s survival, sometimes it has to be dealt with. If that baby continues to be dealt with in the same way throughout its formative years, it becomes a spoiled brat, expecting the whole world to revolve around its wishes. Somewhere along the line, parents have to stop jumping, and start saying “no” the most dreaded word in the English language.

This transition is never an easy one. Children can be extremely clever in finding reasons why everyone should still jump whenever they cry. They don’t like giving up that level of control, nor do they like not getting everything they want. So, what’s a parent to do?

The answer is learning to ignore their crying. Yep, ignore those times they cry to get their way. In those cases, the best way to teach them not to cry is to ignore them. Let them cry, but make them do it on their own. They’ll quickly learn that throwing a temper tantrum, without an audience, isn’t much fun at all.

The worst thing you can do is to give in to your child’s crying. If you do that, then they are the ones who are in control in your house.

Filed Under: Discipline, Parenting Tagged With: Child, Family, Parent