"Dad, she's in my room getting into my things again!"
"Mom, he won't stop looking out of my window!"
"Me first! Me first! Me first!"

Do any of these statements sound familiar? If you have more than one child, they probably do because these are all common examples of sibling rivalry or sibling conflict. But why does sibling rivalry happen? And how can you promote peace and harmony among your children?

Can Sibling Rivalry Be Useful?
Conflict among siblings isn't unique to humans; it happens in just about every animal species that raises several young at the same time. Although human children usually don't have to compete with each other for basic food and shelter, other effects of sibling conflict may prove helpful in the long run. For example, learning to cope with disagreements and disputes with one's sibling can help to promote several important skills, such as how to:

• value another person's perspective
• compromise and negotiate
• control aggressive impulses

As useful as sibling conflict may be in teaching our children these important skills, your family can only tolerate a certain amount of conflict, so it helps to keep it under control. To do so, you need a good understanding of the many factors that affect the frequency and severity of disagreements between brothers and sisters.

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