Children learn how to handle conflict and bullying from their siblings. How brothers and sisters relate to each other can serve as a “training ground for bullying, deviancy and aggression through social learning processes or behavioral patterns that can be reinforced across contexts.”How kids interact with each other at home, positvely or negatively, carries over into how they interact at school.
Studies show that bullying and victimization is as strong at home as it is in school. If siblings get along well they tend to interact with respect and kindness at school. If they don’t get along there’s a good chance they’ll either become bullies or victims at school. But a child who fights back at home is not likely to fight back at school for fear of losing a relationship.
Parents must:
- pay close attention to sibling relationships;
- serve as a mediator to prevent a conflict from escalating;
- get involved in conversations when relationships between children seem negative and combative;
- and monitor their own behavior setting a high standard of positive social interaction.
Read the full article here:
Dads2Dads: Be on lookout for signs of bullying – The Daily News Journal
