"We had only been there for a little over an hour. Alicia was extremely upset and said it wasn't fair that she had to be punished as well because her sister was acting up. When I suggested to Jane that Alicia had a point and that she take Annie home and come back for Alicia and me, she responded that she was taking both girls, and I was welcome to order an Uber to get home if I wanted to stay."
"You absolutely have a point! I'm on your side here because punishing your oldest daughter for her younger sister's tantrums could lead to some serious, long-term consequences. Alicia might feel that, no matter how well she behaves, she'll get punished anyway. Might as well do whatever she wants! But most importantly, she might have a growing contempt for her little sister during a time when they could be building a strong bond and making fun memories."
A family with two daughters, ages three and seven, experienced a tantrum at Disneyland when the younger child was denied a churro. The mother responded by removing the entire family from the park, which deeply upset the older daughter. The father suggested that the mother take only the misbehaving child home and return with the older child, but the mother refused. Collective punishment of a well-behaved sibling risks creating resentment and conveying that good behavior does not prevent punishment. Such consequences can undermine sibling bonding and long-term memories. Three-year-olds have limited impulse control, making recurrence likely without alternative approaches.
Read at Slate Magazine
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]