Sibling Rivalry at Christmas
How to Make Sure Your Kids Really Enjoy Christmas
If you’re a parent of two girls or two boys, you might want to give a little extra thought to your Christmas gifts this season. It’s quite common for parents to purchase two of each gift so that they can provide each child with the same presents and hopefully reduce any sibling squabbling. If you’ve been guilty of doing this, you might want to rethink that approach this Christmas season.
More Harm Than Good
Giving the same gifts to each child can often do more harm than good in diffusing sibling arguments. Take into consideration the ages of your children. If you have daughters who are 9 years old and 4 years old, it’s almost certain your 9-year-old will not be too happy if she gets the same gift as her 4-year-old sister. There might be a few items that you can get for each child. If you buy a sweater and it comes in sizes that will fit both of your daughters or sons, you can simply select different colors. You can do the same for hair accessories or socks. Just make sure that you get Christmas gifts unique to each child and that all gifts are age appropriate.
It’s inevitable that younger siblings tend to grow up a little quicker due to being introduced to things that their older siblings enjoy, so make sure you get something special for your younger son or daughter.
A great way to end sibling squabbles over Christmas presents is to enlist your children’s help. If your child is old enough to insist that Santa doesn’t exist, then let your child know that you have allotted a budget for their Christmas toys. Ask them to include items that they want and designate the higher priority items with an asterisk. For your younger children, assist them with writing a letter to Santa so you can see what presents they would like.
One easy tip to help separate all the gifts under the Christmas tree is to wrap each child’s gifts in a separate wrapping paper. Christmas is an enjoyable time of year, and with the above tips you can make sure all your kids enjoy Christmas regardless of their ages and that the morning under the tree is free from stress and sibling strife.