The power of sibling-hood

Day 3

Today is my sister’s birthday. This is the day, every year I normally wait for the clock to tick 12:00am to wish my baby sister a happy birthday, so here is a shout out to her!!!

“Happy birthday Vili, you are best sister that any brother can ask for”

So given this is the auspicious day when I was blessed with a wonderful sibling, there could not have been a better day to talk about the power of sibling-hood.

According to the Journal of Family Psychology, “An ecological systems view of development acknowledges that children develop in a complex social world and that it is necessary to try and capture changes in the environment (Volling, 2005).”

Growing up there is millions of memories where I have laughed, fought, argued, bonded, and many more. In a way it has helped in the development of my character. With a sibling, it is the first lesson for social development and acceptance in the child development process.

Ever heard about Raksha Bandhan?

In India there is a day dedicated to celebrate the siblinghood. It is called “Raksha Bandhan- The bond of protection”, where Raksha = protection and Bandhan = bond. Here billions of sisters tie the thread of Rakhi on their brother’s hand. It always felt special when my sister tied Rakhi on my wrist.

So what is the power of sibling-hood?

A nonjudgmental friend, a support system, emotional awareness and a comfort zone are some of the powers of siblinghood. This enables in developing characteristics like understanding, sharing, friendship, love, support system, and many more social skills. The level of communication between siblings could be rated higher than the level of communication between a parent-child. Sibling can communicate things with each other that they cannot communication with a parent or friend.

So what about Sibling rivalry?

Sibling rivalry has both pro and cons in the child development process. With sibling rivalry the child is exposed to elements like critics, competitive aptitude, managing problems or conflicts, negotiation, and many more similar elements.

Regardless of what I do, you have got my back!!! – A feeling priceless.

Reference 

Volling, B. (2005) The Transition to Siblinghood: A Developmental Ecological Systems Perspective and Directions for Future Research. Journal of Family Psychology, 19(4), 542-549. Retrieved August 3, 2012, from http://sitemaker.umich.edu/volling/files/