Sharing loved ones

How would you react if your partner arrived home one day with another adult and said, ‘I’d like you to meet Chris, who is coming to live with us. I love you both. It will be great for you. We’ll all be good friends, one big happy family.’ Convincing?

This is how it may feel to a first child when a sibling arrives. The time and attention of the two most special people in the world must be shared—with someone who makes a lot of noise, wakes people up at night, demands a lot of attention and can’t do much else. So much for all the talk beforehand about great it will be to have a new playmate! To make matters worse, people shower the new family member with attention and gifts. That first child needs extra attention and to be treated as special too!