Children's drawings as an effective tool for interpreting and coping with sibling relationship issues

From the dawn of time, parents have been coping with the complex dynamics of sibling relationships, in an effort to build a loving and balanced family. However, as evident from many parents' stories, issues of brotherly and sisterly rivalry, envy and frustration are still part of daily family routine.  

Children's drawings enable us to reveal their personality characteristics, as part of the larger family context. For example, they show us the reasons for recurring disputes, perceived preferential treatment, inner family coalitions, whether the child experiences regression because of a family related issue and so on.

This knowledge will help you provide the child's parents with the right solutions, based on the family's overall dynamics and the child's specific characteristics and needs.  

The e-book reviews the following aspects of sibling relationships:

Birth order

Birth order analysis has developed during the last century in an effort to help parents and professionals better understand children's behavior. However, such generalization is neither always accurate nor effective. Children's drawings, on the other hand, enable us to diagnose whether each child matches his birth order typecast and look for the best way to help him manage socially both within and outside his family environment.
      
This e-book presents a new theory about children's birth order, illustrated by colorful drawings of real children. The drawings uncover the children's different personalities in relation to their position in the family, as well as their family relationships, especially with their siblings.

Birth of a new sibling

This event in a family's life usually requires an adjustment not only from the baby's parents but also from his older sibling, who often finds himself confused and angry, even if he manages to hide it well. Following the birth of their young sibling, older siblings use multiple defense mechanisms, which are clearly reflected in their drawings.

The e-book uses children's drawings to illustrate how they cope with this major family event and presents our recommendations to their parents, based on the drawings' analysis. It also details the 9 most common defense mechanisms used by older siblings and how they are represented in their drawings. Finally, it offers valuable tips that will help you prepare children for this momentous event.   

Twins

Twin drawings are a unique and fascinating phenomenon, as it helps us understand the similarities and differences between them. Parents of twins have to cope with unique issues related to the relationship between them, as well as decide whether and when to send them to separate schools or classes to facilitate their individuation.

This e-book uses twins' drawings to illustrate their different personalities and how they affect their relationships, as well as the complexity of the separation process. It also discusses twins' desire to develop independent self-concepts and the power struggles between them, as indicated by their drawings.    

Sibling rivalry

Understanding the various reasons for sibling rivalry goes a long way to effectively cope with it. In this e-book, we rely on real-life drawing examples to analyze the reasons for sibling rivalry through three major personality lenses.

The e-book also discusses parental over-protectiveness of the younger sibling, its effects and the alternative you, as a parent, can act upon to get the best results.

When observing family dynamics, it is often possible to notice several degrees of parental intervention in sibling rivalry. The decision when and how to intervene is part of the parent's overall educational approach.

In this e-book, we will detail the 12 most important Do's and Don'ts for effectively coping with sibling rivalry, based on years of study and experience.