heir children. Sometimes, long after their kids are out on their own, parents may look back and admit one of them was the best. During childhood, most parents try to spread their love and attention equally among the children. There are times when somewhere inside a mother or father may admit feeling different toward one particular child, and often that feeling comes out in unconscious gestures (bragging to friends, extra hugs, special gifts (Cohen, 58). “It is difficult to treat all children equally when one child excels or stands out among the others, either in looks or achievement. Often parents cannot help but admire certain qualities in their own children” (59).A mistake many parents make is comparing the child to his brothers or sisters. When negative comparisons are made time and time again, damage can be Biagetti 5done to the child’s feeling of self-worth (59-60). “Sometimes kids who want to be noticed by their parents may decide to adopt a negative role just for attention. The child feels that some attention is better than none. The end goal is winning the parent’s favor “ (60). “When parents show in their own relationship that cooperation is enjoyable and brings the reward of friendship, siblings learn to love each other more than they hate each other” (McCaffrey, E4). Siblings can have an enjoyable, easy, relationship, which lays the foundation for future relationships outside the home. But, they need their parents to show the way. Parents must show that adjusting to society’s demands will bring the greatest reward – love (E5).To help siblings share, parents need to be convinced that sharing is commendable. How much parents share with each other serves as a model for the children. If parents compete rather than share, their children will compete rather than share. “One of the reasons both adults and children become hesitant about sharing is that they believe sh...
