Category: Sibling Relationship

If there is one parenting experience that is almost universallyshared, it is this: you are driving, you cannot stop, you cannotintervene physically, and the children in the back seat havechosen this exact moment to have an enormous argument aboutsomething completely trivial. Sibling fighting in the car is one of the most stressfulparenting experiences precisely because…

Few parenting questions generate more opinions than whetherto have a second child — and few questions are more cloudedby myth, assumption, and well-meaning but unreliable anecdote.The “only child stereotype” — lonely, spoiled, sociallyawkward, overly dependent on adults — is one of the mostpersistent in popular psychology. The research tells a very different story. This article…

Birth order is one of the most popular topics in popular psychologyand one of the most misrepresented. The idea that firstborns arenatural leaders, middle children are neglected peacemakers, andyoungest children are charming rebels has been repeated so oftenthat it feels like established fact. The actual research tells a more complicated and more interestingstory. This article…

Most parents use the terms sibling rivalry and sibling conflictinterchangeably. Developmental researchers don’t — and the distinctionmatters more than it might seem, because the two things call forgenuinely different responses. This article explains what each term actually means, what the researchsays about both, and what knowing the difference changes about how youparent through it. What…

You prepared your toddler carefully. You read the books, had the conversations,involved them in the preparations. And then the baby came home — and yourolder child fell apart anyway. This is one of the most common and most distressing experiences for new parentsof two. The good news: sibling jealousy after a new baby is not…

A new baby is coming, and your toddler has no idea what that really means yet.You can say the words — “you’re going to be a big brother” or “a baby sister iscoming” — and watch your toddler nod along with complete cheerfulness, entirelyunaware that their whole world is about to change. That gap between…

If your children argue constantly, you are not alone — and you are not failing.Sibling conflict is one of the most universal experiences in family life, and oneof the most researched. The good news: there are specific, well-supported thingsparents can do to help siblings build a genuinely stronger bond, at every age. This guide covers…