So this relationship between Big Sis and me is indeed a curious one.  Okay she was here before me, seniority doesn't really me anything. Yeah yeah I see all those pics with Mum, Dad and Big Sister off on holiday when it was just the three of them. It hurts Just Dad, when you say remember when we just had one, wasn't it just so much easier. WHATEVER's.

For the record this family wasn' complete without me, I was the cherry on your ice cream sundae, the chocolate buttons on your biscuit, without me in your life it was all rainclouds, but I brought out the sunshine. Okay so I've been watching too much daytime soap opera. Hey when you're two and a half and going out with me means a team of assistants and baggage, people don't want to take me out that much. It's a poignant situation but hey I'm okay with it you see, they get so guilty that they are leaving me, so they ply me with chocolates, anyways Mummy Darling does. But I digress, the ill feeling towards Big Sister suddenly rose with such ferocity because the parents decided to take her on the day trip and NOT me. We're got nothing but bad blood now.

I mean really, no amount of Toblerone is going to smooth these insulted feelings. They mumbled something about a long drive, too tiring...whatevers Parents. I know Bis Sister put you up to this. She is worse than Prince Han in that Frozen movie, I'm not letting this one go. So I've got plans of my own, devious plans you might say, but I really think that Big Sister needed to wash those Barbie dolls she walks around with..and I know the perfect place to do it...the toilet of course. YAY Barbies at the pool. What fun. Actually as I throw the Barbies in, I think one of them did the front crawl, Big Sister's going to tank me for this. I don't feel like we've got any bad blood between us at all, all I have is mad love for my Big Sister's and her wet Barbies. HAHAHAHAHHAHA!

What is sibling rivalry? 

Sibling rivalry is the jealousy, competition and fighting between brothers and sisters.  It is a concern for almost all parents of two or more kids. Problems often start right after the birth of the second child. Sibling rivalry usually continues throughout childhood and can be very frustrating and stressful to parents.  There are lots of things parents can do to help their kids get along better and work through conflicts in positive ways.

What’s the up-side of having more than one child? 

Most likely your kids’ relationship will eventually develop into a close one. Working things out with siblings gives your children a chance to develop important skills like cooperating and being able to see another person’s point of view.

Family Meetings 

If you have older children, call a family meeting every once in a while. A family meeting is a meeting for all family members to work together to make family decisions. Parents, children, and any others who live in the home and have a stake in decisions affecting the daily life of the family should take part. Choose a time that works for everyone.  Establish a set of rules (for example., no yelling or name-calling, everyone gets a turn) and allow everyone to have a say, even if members don’t agree.

The purpose of the family meeting is to recognize that everyone's opinion makes a difference.  The meeting allows the family to share their opinions, seek understanding, and find resolutions to problems. Family meetings help to build cooperation and responsibility, and make anger and rebellion less likely.

By Mayuri Jayasinghe