My family and I love Olivia the Pig's can-do attitude and boundless imagination. Yet I do have a bone to pick with this 6-year-old literary pig turned TV star. The television version of Olivia — unlike her picture-book persona — regularly refers to her brother, Ian, as a “little bother.”
Each time I hear this and other incidents of cartoon sibling friction, I cringe and glance at my daughters, hoping they won't come to view one another as nuisances. Life already presents enough opportunities for sibling conflict, and I'd rather have my kids love and respect each other, not demean and devalue one another. So if I find that a particular episode is encouraging my kids to be at odds even more, we take a hiatus from that show.
I'm also intentional about guiding my kids' relationships during play with each other and with friends. They all interact; there’s no segregation by age. This helps them work through developmental differences and abilities so they can see each other not only as siblings, but also as friends.
As much as I may enjoy Olivia, it's more important for me to teach my kids that having a sibling is not a bother, but a blessing..
This article appeared in the December 2011 issue of Thriving Family magazine and was titled "No Sibling Bothers." Copyright © 2011 by Ashleigh Slater. Used by permission. ThrivingFamily.com
Did you enjoy this article? Read more like it.
Subscribe to Thriving Family magazine!