Emily Chan
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.
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