If You Have Some Stepsibling Rivalry Going On With The Kids In Your Family, Here’s How You Can Maintain Peace
All siblings fight from time to time. Even the mildest and most obedient kids from the stablest of families get into spats over this and that.
It’s a normal part of child development. In fact, some studies have suggested that sibling squabbles may happen as often as eight times per hour.
But when two families merge, and stepsiblings are introduced into the picture, the opportunities for fights and rivalry to occur increase exponentially.
With the rise of blended families in the United States, more households than ever contain children who aren’t directly related to each other living under one roof.
That being said, it’s important for the parents joining the families together to understand how to handle the big feelings that may arise when kids aren’t accustomed to sharing a life and a parent.
If you have a blended family and are experiencing stepsibling rivalry, here’s how you can help establish some boundaries, develop solutions, and maintain peace within the family.
Set Expectations
When two families suddenly merge into one, the adjustment can be difficult to accept. Everyone handles change differently, so the road ahead is sure to have a lot of bumps along the way.
Your kids and stepkids will be unsure how to proceed with their new life. So your first course of action should be to express exactly what you expect from them.
Syda Productions – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only, not the actual children
Together with your partner, sit everyone down and explain the rules and any consequences that will follow if the rules are breached.
Keep the expectations consistent for everyone, and don’t give out any special treatment.
Act As A Role Model
Kids take cues from their parents on how to act. They can sense when parents are feeling tense and stressed. That stress may influence their feelings, which in turn affects their behavior.
And that animosity will be taken out on the siblings.
So even during times of hardship, when you’re feeling the pressures of life, work, and parenting, do your best to uphold your composure and be a role model.
Handle any conflicts or frustrations in a calm, respectful manner.
Have Designated Bonding Time
Bonding time is an essential step for encouraging stepsiblings to get along. Regular family dinners or game nights involving each family member will help strengthen connections.
In addition, spend some quality time with each individual child. It doesn’t always have to be an extravagant activity.
Chatting with them one-on-one will make the child feel cared for and included.
Don’t Force Everyone To Become Best Friends
In the perfect family, everyone would love each other and get along swimmingly. But you can’t achieve that by forcing stepsiblings to become best friends immediately.
Let go of any unrealistic ideas and acknowledge that the children may not be close to each other right away, if ever. However, showing respect and kindness is always a must.
It will require some patience and dedication to get stepsiblings to get used to each other and develop good relationships.
They’ll need time to adjust, so manage your expectations and don a positive attitude as you work through the issues as a family.
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