All siblings fight and there are no exceptions to this rule so do not get flustered if you find one of your kids sulking while you are organizing the others birthday party. Children are quick to feel left out if they find that another child is being given preference. While as a parent, you would not want any of your children to feel such an emotion, it is likely to creep up when birthday preparations of the other child have kept you occupied. Thankfully there are several ways to combat sibling rivalry and can be easily adopted by most parents:
- Involve the sibling in the party preparation – Do not isolate the other children from the party planning. Instead, involve the sibling in organizing the party so that he feels a sense of achievement as well as importance. Even if the other child is not the guest of honor at the party, having organized it well can earn a fair amount of credit and limelight for him. Under this situation, the other child is able to make peace with the fact that though it is not his birthday he is not completely devoid of attention.
- Reminders of his/her birthday party - When preparing for the birthday celebration of one child keep reminding the other of his upcoming birthday too. Press on the fact that on his birthday he shall be able to call the shots and can choose to have a birthday party of his choice. This will help keep things in perspective and the child will look forward to his own birthday while ignoring the lack of attention that he receives on his brother’s birthday.
- Invite sibling’s friends too – When preparing the guest list keep in mind that a few of the other child’s friends must also be invited for the party so as to keep him company. Even if the age gap between the two siblings is high, do not ignore the other child’s friends especially if he happens to be the younger of the two. Having his own friends will keep the other kid occupied and thus divert his attention from the fact that he is not the king of the day.
- Include the other child all through the celebration – Make sure that the other child is not left out of any important events of the birthday party celebrations. If you are taking pictures or making a video clip be sure to include both the kids equally. Even during the cake cutting ceremony call the other child and ask him to stand close to the birthday child. Ensure that you introduce both the kids to the guests and do not go over board praising any one of them.
- Do unto others – Reminding the other child that he is given the same kind of importance when it is his birthday and asking how he would like it if his brother misbehaved on his special day will help the other child see the larger picture. Reinforcing the rule of ‘do unto others, as you would have them do unto you’ will help the child understand and well as control negativity on his brother’s birthday.
Keep these tips in mind and you will be able to sail through the party without having to face sibling rivalry issues.
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