sibling relationships | ParentsSquare

Getting Along with your Siblings

A friend told me once you aren’t a parent until you have your second child. Parents of one child may not understand this statement but those with two or more children will immediately relate to this. My friend was referring to the seemingly constant bickering and fighting between siblings. This continual fighting between siblings is… [ Continue Reading → ]

The Middle Child

Siblings have their own set of joys as well as unease. Especially if you have three children. The middle child somehow seems to be a little ill at ease – neither here nor there, as one would say. In her growing years and as a middle sibling, all she needs is understanding and words of… [ Continue Reading → ]

Making Friends

Everyone needs friends; the world would be a sad place without them. However, the ability to make friends varies from child to child. To some children, making friends is easy, and to others it’s a tough call. It is a skill, and you have to encourage your child to develop this skill. For instance, if… [ Continue Reading → ]

The Responsible Older Child

If you have a sibling, your relationship with them is likely to be the longest lasting you’ll ever have with another human being. You may have fought continually as children or you may have been each other’s best friends. Either way, these are the people who share your roots, who accepted or rejected the same… [ Continue Reading → ]

Appreciate The Differences

Shilpi was trying to draw Mickey Mouse from a comic book. Her sister, Ira, was also trying to draw the same picture. Her mother happened to pass by and looked over both of them. Taking Ira’s drawing in her hands, she exclaimed, “What a nice picture, it’s wonderful.” Shilpi patiently waited for her pat on… [ Continue Reading → ]

The Single Child

Childhood is a strange mix of fascination with as well as fear of the unknown. But with a parent’s finger firmly clutched in her tiny hands, a child’s tentative steps are transformed into a bold foray into a world of strange sights, sounds and smells. In a large family, the company of other children often… [ Continue Reading → ]

Twice as Much? – The Twin Concept

The ultrasound has just shown one, two or maybe even three little heads! Calm down and pick yourself off the floor. So you are expecting twins. Your feelings may range from “Why me”, “This is great”, “Oh my!” to “What have we done?” Either way there is an element of shock and you may wonder… [ Continue Reading → ]

Between Siblings

‘Saaz’. A film about two sisters — two singers. Bansi has received an invitation to sing at the Red Fort on Republic Day. She is only waiting for the official confirmation, she tells Mansi, her sister. Mansi smiles. Days pass. Then weeks. The confirmation letter does not arrive. Bansi keeps waiting till 26th January. On… [ Continue Reading → ]

What if older child feels threatened by the arrival of a new baby?

The parents of five-year-old Amisha noticed an aloofness in her behaviour when her mother gave her the news of a new baby on the way. When asked about it, she replied, “Now my parents will not be mine alone, but somebody else’s as well”. The elder child’s psychology It is quite natural for a child… [ Continue Reading → ]

The World of Sisters

“Can I ever trust you to take the right decision?” This is a line my sister has been saying ever since I was 12 years old and she was 17. She said it then with absolute conviction and has continued to say it even though we’re both now on the wrong side of 30. We… [ Continue Reading → ]