Familiar with sibling rivalry? I believe most of us are, except those who are the only child in a family. In my family, my brothers usually compete with the girls for our Dad's affection and attention which makes us all competitive. I have seen similar things happen in some families.
One negative side of sibling rivalry is that it breeds envy, anger sometimes and worst-case scenario, bitterness which results in malicious intents and acts.
Do you doubt me? I'll tell you a story, you may know it already or not. There was an old man who was blessed with twin sons. The twins right from childhood had always been competitive - the younger wanting to take the place of the senior one.
What fueled the rivalry further was that the parents could not love the sons equally. Is it possible to love all our children equally? An age-old question! Anyway, the old man loved the senior son more while the mother loved the younger son more. (Does it sound like a story you know?)
When the old man was dying (and he was blind at the time), he called the senior son and asked to bless him which was a serious tradition then. And it still is all over the world. When a parent prays for and blesses a child from the heart, it's the best thing!
The condition the old man gave the son for this blessing was for him to go hunting and prepare a delicious meal from the hunt. The mother heard this conversation and told the younger son. She helped him prepare the meal and the younger son, disguised as the senior son, served the old man. The old man ate and blessed the younger son.
The senior son returned from hunting to discover what the younger son had done. He became bitter and vowed to kill his twin.
I'm sure some of you are familiar with this story which is a retelling of the biblical Esau and Jacob story, a classic case of child favouritism and sibling rivalry.
Sometimes parents believe that children bickering, insulting each other and fighting is normal, typical sibling rivalry but the reality is, care must be taken to ensure it does not get aggressive or devolve to the point of drawing blood.
When it becomes like that, it means malicious intent has been brewing for some time and the act was the manifestation of it.
Some siblings grow up to be enemies, not speaking to each other and family gatherings become a burden. Even when they meet during such gatherings, they attack each other verbally and in every other way.
I believe parents have the utmost duty and obligation to tamper down sibling rivalries among their children so it does not get out of hand. I agree they cannot always be with their children all day but the lessons and talks they give whenever these rivalries occur or when malice is perceived, it will go a long way to help guide the children. As they grow up, they will realize certain lines should not be crossed when it comes to family.
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This article is my entry to Proof of Brain Word Of The Week contest - MALICIOUS. You are invited to participate.