Maya Angelou said: “”I don’t believe an accident of birth makes people sisters or brothers. It makes them siblings, gives them mutuality of parentage. Sisterhood and brotherhood is a condition people have to work at.”

And if you’re a parent of siblings, then you know that it certainly can be work. Your kids might seem like they are each other’s best friends one moment, and then worst enemies in the next. And ten minutes later, they’re back at each other’s side once again.

As parents, we don’t want our kids to just be people who live in the same house. We want to create the right environment for them to forge a bond of love, and trust, and friendship that will last a lifetime.

And so when we see that things are going wrong between them, it breaks our hearts. If only you could know how and when to nudge them in the right direction so that everything will be okay.

That’s where today’s guest comes in. Dana Points is the Editor-in-Chief of Parents Magazine and, as you’ll hear, she has a lead role in many of the other parenting and family-oriented magazines that you may know and love. So the best tips and tricks for raising families come across her desk every single day.

The June issue of Parents features a story called “Raising Happy Siblings.” Together, Dana and I go through the major recommendations of this piece, detailing helpful and effective solutions to many of the common hurdles sibling relationships can encounter.

If you’re a parent of siblings, then this is an episode you simply must hear.

Listen by clicking here for iTunes or play it below.

In This Episode, You Will Learn Solutions to These Common Sibling Challenges:

• When siblings constantly tease or antagonize each other
• When older siblings routinely criticize younger siblings
• An older sibling who feels like the youngest gets all of your attention
• A younger sibling who thinks less of him- or herself because the older sibling always does things better
• When siblings don’t give each other the time of day
• How to best parent middle children

Plus, You’ll Also Learn:

• The importance of saying “no”
• Not to rush through your kids’ childhood
• And much more!

Important Resources

• Parents Magazine: website & subscription information
• Family Fun Magazine & Ser Padres Magazine
• What About Me? Twelve Ways to Get Your Parents’ Attention (Without Hitting Your Sister) – by Eileen Kennedy-Moore
• No Regrets Parenting: Turning Long Days and Short Years into Cherished Moments with Your Kids – by Harley, A. Rotbart, MD
• Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys – by Dan Kindlon & Michael Thompson
• The Blessing of a Skinned Knee: Using Jewish Teachings to Raise Self-Reliant Children – by Wendy Mogel
• The Blessing of a B-minus: Using Jewish Teachings to Raise Resilient Teenagers – by Wendy Mogel

Music

• Akashic Records – Motivation
• Ampyx & Ron Curtis — Shoot for the Stars