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I have a sister who is just two and a half years older than myself, and when we were younger—really, until college years—we were very jealous of one another. We were constantly looking for ways to get one another in trouble, ruin the other one’s fun, steal one another’s belongings, steal one another’s friends, dominate the attention of our parents, and prove that we were better than one another. Thank goodness that nonsense stopped as we got older because, today, my sister is one of my best friends. I don’t know what I’d do without her—nobody can replace a sibling. Nobody can understand you the way a sibling can. It’s a beautiful friendship. It’s just a shame it took us a couple of decades of life to get there. If you want your kids to share the beautiful friendship that can exist between siblings, take these steps to prevent jealousy among siblings.
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Don’t leave the older one in the dust
Bringing home a newborn is, naturally, a very intense and all-consuming event. But if you already have a child at home, it’s very important that she feels included. Don’t put her in the hands of a babysitter, whose directives are to keep your older child away from you and the baby. This can be the root of serious jealousy issues, early on. Invite the older sibling to be near you, and your baby. Make her feel like she is a part of this event.
