How do you manage kids who are close together in age?
How do you individualize them but also unify them?
Our middle girls are eighteen months apart and did a lot together growing up. In their relationship there were struggles of jealousy, conflict, rivalry, and deep comparison. This could have been a personality thing or a closeness in age but what it ultimately came down to is our younger daughter felt like she was “living in the shadow” of our older daughter.
Do you have a relationship like that with your kids?
Here is how we would encourage you to handle this in your family.
1. Empower the older to appreciate the younger sibling. Letting them know how to appreciate the way God made them.
2. Encourage the younger child to see the good in the older child. Share with them all the ways God made the older child special.
By empowering and encouraging your kids it turns their hearts toward each other. This is how you start building a family culture of appreciation. The next time your kids act jealous, show them how to appreciate each other instead. It’s worth the relational investment, even if it feels like an inconvenience – stop and take the time to disciple your kids and cultivate unity amidst their uniqueness.
We hope this encourages you to inspire the little people in your family. We believe this small shift can help them see their siblings with love and adoration and choose to protect and nurture those key sibling relationships.
