How to Get Along with Your Siblings

It's not always easy to love your brothers and sisters

Brother and sister fighting
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The Bible tells us to love others as we love one another, but sometimes that's hard when we're trying to get along with our siblings. Most of us love our families very much, but we don't always get along with them. Brothers and sisters can also be more difficult because sometimes we compete for our parent's attention or we "borrow" things without asking, and more. Yet when we learn to get along with our siblings, we learn a lot more about God's love.

Find the Love

Your brothers or sisters are the only siblings you have. They're family, and you love them. Learning to get along with your siblings starts with admitting we really do love them, despite all of the annoying little things they do. God calls us to love one another, and we need to find the love for our siblings even when the anger seems to be building up.

Be Patient

We all make mistakes. We all do annoying things from time to time that irritates one another. Brothers and sisters have a way of pushing each other's buttons like no other. It's easy to rise to anger or get impatient with our siblings because we know them so well. We've seen their best (and their worst). We know each other's strengths and weaknesses. Finding patience when it comes to our siblings' behaviors can be hard, but the more patience we find, the better we'll get along.

Stop Comparing Yourself With Your Siblings

Sibling rivalry is a big deal in getting along with our brothers and sisters. We can ask parents to not compare children, but sometimes we do it all on our own. It's easy to be envious of our siblings' talents. Yet, we need to remember that God gives us each gifts. He tells us each that He has a plan for every one of us. He created each of us with different purposes. So, when your sister comes home with straight A's or your brother ends up with all the singing talent, stop looking at how you compare to that and work on the talents that God gave you.

Do Some Things Together

One thing that forms a sibling bond is making memories. Each of us has family traditions, and instead of resenting time taken away from friends, make the most of the people closest to you. Try taking your brother or sister out to a movie. Hang out for lunch with a sibling. Start reading your Bible together. Make the most of the times you have together and do something fun and memorable.

Learn to Share

One of the biggest pet peeves of siblings is that the take things from one another. Sure, it's not always pleasant when a sister "borrows" a favorite top or a brother "borrows" your iPod without asking. It also stinks when siblings never share, even when the other sibling asks. We all need to learn to ask before taking and offer more when asked. We can also learn to communicate better by explaining WHY we're not sharing. The better we are at asking and sharing, the better we'll get along with our siblings.

Be Respectful

Sometimes the biggest arguments don't actually start with a disagreement, but just a tone in an answer. We need to learn to be respectful of one another. Sure, it's easy to let your guard down with siblings and just put things out there in a less-than-tactful manner. We trust that family gets it, but sometimes they don't. We can't be less respectful of family. Our siblings are there with us through our entire lives. They see us at our best and worst. They get what it's like to be in the family, and no one else gets that. We need to show one another respect for what's going on in each other's lives, who our siblings are, and because God tells us to love and respect one another.

Talk to One Another

Conversations are an important part of getting along with our siblings. Communication is an important part of any relationship, and our sibling relationships are no different. Grunts, sighs, and shrugs aren't a way to talk to one another. Find out what's going on with your brother or sister. Ask how things are going. Share what's going on with you. Talking to one another and sharing parts of ourselves helps us all get along better.

Things Aren't Always Perfect

No sibling relationship is perfect. We all have moments where we don't quite get along or where our relationships with our brothers or sisters get rocky. It's what we do in those times that matter. We need to try to get along with one another. We should be lifting our siblings up in prayer. As we learn to get along with our brothers and sisters we will find that our relationship will grow with them to a point where we don't fight as often. It becomes easier to be patient. Communication gets easier. And sometimes, when we're all grown up, we'll find that we cherish every moment we had with our siblings…good, bad, and ugly.

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Mahoney, Kelli. "How to Get Along with Your Siblings." Learn Religions, Apr. 5, 2023, learnreligions.com/how-to-get-along-with-your-siblings-712212. Mahoney, Kelli. (2023, April 5). How to Get Along with Your Siblings. Retrieved from https://www.learnreligions.com/how-to-get-along-with-your-siblings-712212 Mahoney, Kelli. "How to Get Along with Your Siblings." Learn Religions. https://www.learnreligions.com/how-to-get-along-with-your-siblings-712212 (accessed March 19, 2024).