Sibling Rivalry

Something happened last Sunday that has really forced me to be more careful what I say around Jeremy.

Karinna had drawn a beautiful picture that she intended to give Mrs. Sakamoto (her teacher last year in Kindergarten). Teresa was raving over it and called out to me to have me take a look. I openly expressed that I was very impressed with the detail and the colors. Both of us were totally oblivious to the fact that Jeremy was taking in every word...

Later that afternoon, Karinna found her artwork crumpled up and thrown in the trash. She was in tears. All of us knew who the perpetrator was. The picture had originally been placed on top of the kitchen counter. So, to have it thrown into a trashcan on the opposite side of the house indicated to me that the act was premeditated. Also, when Jeremy throws paper away, he never crumples it up. The fact that the picture was crumpled up was an indication of malice. It was clear to me that Jeremy was jealous because we fawned over Karinna's picture. We took Jeremy aside and explained that it was wrong for him to get upset whenever Karinna did something well. We assured him that there were things he did very well and that we were also very proud of him. But we made sure he knew that throwing the picture away was wrong, especially the jealousy that was at the root of his actions.

The incident was not a big deal -- Karinna and Jeremy have a great relationship. However, it really made me realize how sensitive children are when it comes to equitable treatment from their parents.