Jealousy occurs in almost every family in which there is more than one child. Even when a child is alone, he can be jealous of one parent towards the other. Jealousy is a normal and natural feeling that arises from the fear of losing a loved one. However, for a child, jealousy is a strong stress, since he cannot fully understand the cause-and-effect relationships of what is happening and does not have enough life experience. Due to jealousy towards a brother or sister, a child may sleep poorly, have problems with appetite, and have School performance may decline. Episodes of aggression, increased excitability, or, conversely, apathy and isolation may also appear. A very common phenomenon in jealousy is a “rollback” to previous levels of development. For example, a child has long been able to feed himself, but begins to ask his mother to feed him. Another sign that not everything is in order is increased fears and the appearance of phobias. The following recommendations can help in this case: Try not to “break” the child’s usual way of life. Tell him that all the usual rules remain and continue to apply. Often parents begin to adjust the whole family to the regime of the youngest child, but the task is to learn to live together. Never compare children, this will lead to jealousy, even if there was none initially. An unpleasant “bonus” to this will be the emergence of rivalry and competition. The rules for all children in the family should be the same. One should not be allowed to do something that is forbidden to another. A similar thing should apply to adults: they should not openly engage in activities that children should not do. In conflicts, it is better not to take sides. You can console the children, stop the quarrel, but emphasize that they must agree and resolve the situation themselves. Children must be taught to respect each other’s personal boundaries. There is no need to force or persuade the elder to share toys with the younger, citing the fact that “he is small.” It is also worth explaining that you cannot take each other’s things without asking. If each child has their own room, then teach them to knock on each other’s door and not to enter without permission (the same applies to parental rooms - bedroom and study). At the same time, do not forget that parents themselves must observe and respect treat the personal boundaries of each child in the family. Have you encountered jealousy in your children? Maybe you were jealous of your parents when you were a child? Sign up for a consultation: WhatsApp, Telegram +7 913 380-83-42 Skype: as3808342 Learn to manage your emotions!💪