Understanding Sibling Rivalry: The Brazelton Way

The teasing, squabbling, competition, and ferocious fights of brothers and sisters can drive any parent to frantic desperation. At the same time, Drs. Brazelton and Sparrow point out, siblings are learning from one another and deep, close relationships are forming that will last a lifetime. In this absolutely indispensable addition to the Brazelton Way series, the authors show how parents can defuse much of the bickering, while helping to strengthen warm relationships. They help parents understand the universal "Touchpoints" of sibling rivalry at each age, as well as the problems in particular family situations. From the combined delight and resentment that a sibling feels toward a new baby, to birth order, blended families, sex play, scapegoats, meltdowns, and competition in school, parents will find welcome advice in this wise, comforting book.

T. Berry Brazelton, M.D., founder of the Child Development Unit at Children’s Hospital Boston, is Clinical Professor of Pediatrics Emeritus at Harvard Medical School and Professor of Pediatrics and Human Development at Brown University. He is a famed advocate for children, and his many other internationally acclaimed books for parents include To Listen to a Child, Infants and Mothers, and, with Stanley I. Greenspan, M.D., The Irreducible Needs of Children. Joshua D. Sparrow, M.D child psychiatrist and supervisor of inpatient psychiatry at Children’s Hospital Boston, is Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, and Associate Director of Training at the Brazelton Touchpoints Center. He is co-author with Dr. Brazelton of Touchpoints Three to Six and several titles in the Brazelton Way series.