Sibling rivalry describes the ongoing conflict between kids raised in the same family.
It
can happen between blood-related siblings, step siblings, and even adopted or foster
siblings
While many kids are lucky enough to become the best of friends with their siblings, it's
common for brothers and sisters to fight. (It's also common for them to swing back and
forth between adoring and detesting one other!)
Often, sibling rivalry starts even before the second child is born, and continues as the
kids grow and compete for everything from toys to attention. As kids reach different
stages of development, tIn many families, the children count their siblings among their
friends. But it’s also common for siblings to be great friends on one day and hateful to
one another on the next. They often compete with, are jealous of, and harbor resentment
of one another. Some experts say sibling rivalry stems from children competing for their
parents’ love. Others say the children's goal is parental recognition or attention
Siblings generally spend more time together during childhood than they do with parents.
The sibling bond is often complicated and is influenced by factors such as parental
treatment, birth order, personality, and people and experiences outside the family.
Sibling rivalry is particularly intense when children are very close in age and of the same
gender and/or where one or both children are intellectually gifted.