How to Deal With Your Siblings

Ask your sibling why they are behaving the way they are., Keep calm and don’t be angry., Be understanding., Describe the situation to your sibling from your perspective., Speak directly and frankly., Ask a parent or guardian for advice if things...

9 Steps 3 min read Medium

Step-by-Step Guide

  1. Step 1: Ask your sibling why they are behaving the way they are.

    The first and most simple way to resolve a conflict is to talk to your brother or sister.

    Ask them thoughtful and genuine questions about why they are acting the way that they are.Direct questions can include: "Why are you acting so off-the-wall lately?" "Is there something I can do to make things between us better?" "Has something been bothering you recently to make you act out?"
  2. Step 2: Keep calm and don’t be angry.

    Any hostility will further provoke your sibling and make them more likely to continue to bother, annoy or harass you.

    Take deep breaths while speaking to calm yourself and relax, then reassess the situation and approach it again once you're no longer angry., Respect your sibling and their situation, and try to see things from their view.

    They may be jealous of something, angry with you for some reason, or simply looking for attention., Ask them to think about how they would feel if you treated them the way they are treating you.

    By doing this, you can persuade them to feel empathy for your situation, and imagine what it would be like from your perspective., Talk about exactly the way you feel without stepping around the issue, and ask them to stop their negative behavior.

    Whether they're younger or older, get right at the heart of what's bothering you.

    Try saying: "Your behavior is keeping me from getting my work done, and while I love you, it's getting out of hand." "You and your friends make fun of me, and I don't appreciate it.

    It really hurts my feelings." "I don't like it when you take my things without asking.

    I'd be more than happy to share them with you, but I also don't want them to get lost."

    Your parent will know both you and your sibling’s behaviors and stories, and they may be able to give valuable advice about the way your sibling is behaving and why. , While no one likes to be a “tattle-tale”, there are many situations in which a parent may need to step in and help you directly.

    They might discipline your sibling or talk to them for you. , If talking to your brother or sister alone didn’t make a change, having a parent watch over the conversation can help to keep it civil. , Many of your friends will also have siblings, and have been through the same things.

    Whether they have younger siblings or older siblings, they’ll likely have great advice and stories about times they resolved conflicts in their own families.
  3. Step 3: Be understanding.

  4. Step 4: Describe the situation to your sibling from your perspective.

  5. Step 5: Speak directly and frankly.

  6. Step 6: Ask a parent or guardian for advice if things don't go well with your sibling.

  7. Step 7: Ask your parent to intervene.

  8. Step 8: Ask your parent sit in on a neutral conversation between you and your sibling.

  9. Step 9: Ask your friends for advice.

Detailed Guide

The first and most simple way to resolve a conflict is to talk to your brother or sister.

Ask them thoughtful and genuine questions about why they are acting the way that they are.Direct questions can include: "Why are you acting so off-the-wall lately?" "Is there something I can do to make things between us better?" "Has something been bothering you recently to make you act out?"

Any hostility will further provoke your sibling and make them more likely to continue to bother, annoy or harass you.

Take deep breaths while speaking to calm yourself and relax, then reassess the situation and approach it again once you're no longer angry., Respect your sibling and their situation, and try to see things from their view.

They may be jealous of something, angry with you for some reason, or simply looking for attention., Ask them to think about how they would feel if you treated them the way they are treating you.

By doing this, you can persuade them to feel empathy for your situation, and imagine what it would be like from your perspective., Talk about exactly the way you feel without stepping around the issue, and ask them to stop their negative behavior.

Whether they're younger or older, get right at the heart of what's bothering you.

Try saying: "Your behavior is keeping me from getting my work done, and while I love you, it's getting out of hand." "You and your friends make fun of me, and I don't appreciate it.

It really hurts my feelings." "I don't like it when you take my things without asking.

I'd be more than happy to share them with you, but I also don't want them to get lost."

Your parent will know both you and your sibling’s behaviors and stories, and they may be able to give valuable advice about the way your sibling is behaving and why. , While no one likes to be a “tattle-tale”, there are many situations in which a parent may need to step in and help you directly.

They might discipline your sibling or talk to them for you. , If talking to your brother or sister alone didn’t make a change, having a parent watch over the conversation can help to keep it civil. , Many of your friends will also have siblings, and have been through the same things.

Whether they have younger siblings or older siblings, they’ll likely have great advice and stories about times they resolved conflicts in their own families.

About the Author

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Sarah Ramirez

Committed to making creative arts accessible and understandable for everyone.

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