Your brother or sister may turn out to be your best friend someday. Many siblings fight and compete with each other while growing up but become very close when they get older. As you grow up, your friends might change, but your family is yours forever.
All children want attention from their parents, but sometimes you need to take turns. If you’re feeling ignored, talk to your parents. If a parent knows you’re feeling left out, together you can figure out ways to help you feel better again.
Try to talk arguments with your sibling out. This might be hard because they might be at a different maturity level than you. They might not react the way that you’d like, but there are a lot of benefits to discussing the issue.
Many times, small sibling arguments are triggered by bigger issues. They borrowed something and didn’t return it, or they told your parents about something you did wrong. You might think they get more attention, or that people unfairly compare you to them.
Siblings often compete over their parents’ attention. This is called sibling rivalry, and it could be the reason why you fight with your siblings – but it doesn’t mean you’ll never get along with your brother or sister, or that you can’t be good friends.
The hardest people to get along with can be the people you’re closest to – like your brothers and sisters. The relationships that you have with your siblings can be a lot more complex than those you have with others, which can cause you to get more upset.
Letting your loved ones in to support you benefits both them and you. Humans are social creatures, and isolating yourself ends up exacerbating your pain. Connection is the antidote.
Families can cause a lot of stress and may not be the right place to find someone to talk to about your problem. Even if they are understanding, you may still not want to talk to them about what is troubling you. You can always talk to a teacher, mental health professional or a friend.
To figure out who you can talk to in your family about an issue, ask: Will they give me a hard time? Will they make me more upset? Can they offer me the help I need? Will our talk be kept secret? If I tell them something personal, will they think differently of me?
It is natural to feel like you don’t want to let your family down with your personal problems but remember in most families, they only care about you. Sometimes a family member that is not in your immediate family like an uncle, cousin and grandparent might be the right person to talk to.