How to End Sibling Rivalry

Is there a way to safely end the mayhem without hurt feelings?

Well that is what I am here to answer.

As an owner of 4 pets myself, I am well versed in the ways of Sibling Rivalry. And I have also come up with some steps which, if you follow, will hopefully end your family’s sibling rivalry. I will be more then happy to pass these steps on to you. I’m sympathetic that way. Are you ready? Well then, let us begin.

Step Number One:

Calm yourself. We all know that it is damaging to rip out your hair in anger. And when you’re angry, you’re usually not able to think straight. Are any of your familiar with this scenario:

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You enter your home to find your Neohome a complete mess, with your Kougra and your Shoyru sitting on the floor, arguing and ripping each other’s Usuki Doll to shreds. You angrily storm towards the two of them. They can see the anger on your face and they look afraid, very afraid. ‘This is good.’ You think. But in your rage, you miss the small Kiko Squeeze toy on the floor. The next thing you know, you’re staring at the ceiling and listening to your pet’s laughter.

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Now that’s not a very pleasant thought is it? Come on, you know who you are. And I know this has happened to you. So the point is to relax and be calm. There is nothing a pet admires more then relative calm, and they most likely will react in a similar fashion.

Step Number Two:

OK. Are you calm? Good. Now that we have that down, here’s the next tip. Find out the true story. We all know that in Sibling Rivalry, lies are often very closely related to the truth. And most siblings will be more then willing to lie to get their brother/sister in trouble. Perhaps this scenario has happened to you:

You enter your home to find your Neohome a complete mess, with your Kougra and your Shoyru sitting on the floor, arguing and ripping each other’s Usuki Doll to shreds. You calmly walk over and ask them 'What in Neopia is going on here? 'They both burst into action, shouting two completely different versions of what happened.

Your Kougra says that his brother came into his room, and smashed his Usuki Doll collection. Your Shoyru, on the other hand, says that he came to wake his brother up from a nap, at which point his brother threw a pillow at him, but he missed and smashed his own Usuki Doll Collection.

At this point, your head is spinning from so many different versions of the truth. And now you have a major headache. You simply tell them to clean up the mess and that you’re going to lie down from your headache.

Another unpleasant scenario. You see, when you left, you taught them that if they just keep talking long enough, they will be able to get away with it. And that’s no help at all is it? The best thing to do would be to separate the two. Go from one to the other, and take in varying evidence from around the home. At which point you should have the whole story.

Step Number Three:

Confront them separately with your evidence. Let them know calmly that you know what happened even if you don’t. Now, it is very important to confront them SEPARATELY.

There is no need for a scenario for your to see what would happen if you confronted them both at them same time. All it would result in is a dent in the wall, several exotic Elephante dancers, and a broken nose. Don’t ask. Remember, I’m the expert here. I know these things.

So just remember, confront them separately. It could save your nose.

Step Number Four:

If you have followed the tips so far, you will end up having a sobbing pet and a mountain of confessions on your hands. Various confessions of sibling abuse of many forms from all different times. Usually involving name calling, punching, teasing etc… you get the idea. Remember that most pets will remember an incident that could have happened several years ago, and need to get it off their chest.

So the tip here it to not push away your pet’s emotions. Do not make it so that the pet feels foolish for relaying these emotions to you. Let him have your support and comfort him while he exudes his confessions and tears. Most of the time, a sibling will become more angry over time if he has been keeping secret the abuse from his other sibling.

It’s kind of like when you blow up a balloon. The more pressure inside of the balloon, the harder it is to hold in all the air. Eventually, the balloon must either let out some air, or burst. And I’m sure you don’t want your pet to burst like a balloon now do you? Of course not.

Step Number Five:

Well, we are nearing the end of the article, and I have one last tip to pass on to you before I let you go. And this may be the most frightening step of all. But don’t worry; if you followed the steps, you have nothing to fear.

Bring your two pets together to resolve their differences. Don’t worry glares and growls are not unusual. Just DON'T leave them alone with each other. It won’t end nicely and you could end up on an ambulance on a trip to the Neopian Hospital with a punctured liver… Don’t ask…

*cough cough* back to the step.

Have them confront each other. Let each, on his own turn; explain to the other what bothers him and how angry/sad/depressed it makes him when the other is hurtful. Also let each explain to the other why the do such hurtful behavior. Eventually, all confessions will be ended and they will be happily playing on the floor with their Usuki Dolls.

If you use the steps every time you find some burst of Sibling Rivalry, your Neohome will be a calmer and better place. And you won’t tear out all your hair. That’s a bonus.

So now, I leave and wish you luck with your pets. Remember the steps, and they could save your life. Goodbye and good luck.

*No livers were harmed in the making of this article.*