sister

"Sister" redirects here. For other uses, see Sister (disambiguation).

"Brother" redirects here. For other uses, see Brother (disambiguation).

"Bro" redirects here. For the intrusion detection system, see Bro (software).

Sibling denotes a brother or sister, respectively meaning a male or female who shares at least one parent with the person being referenced. This is usually taken to mean that the two people are genetically very close, though it is not always necessarily the case, i.e. an adoption.

In most societies throughout the world, siblings will usually grow up in the same household. This closeness is marked with the development of strong emotional associations between them (e.g., love, enmity). However, closeness may not always develop in sibling relationships, particularly between those with an age difference of five years or more.

Stepsibling

A stepsibling (stepbrother or stepsister), is a sibling with whom an individual bears no blood relation, and is only related by the marriage of one parent of the individual to one parent of the sibling; see stepfamily.

Half sibling

A half sibling (half brother or half sister) is a sibling with one shared biological parent. Half siblings can have a wide variety of interpersonal relationships, from a bond as close as any full siblings, to total strangers.

Any half sibling of a person was traditionally treated just the same as a regular sibling for all purposes. At law (and especially Inheritance law), however, half siblings were often accorded unequal treatment. Old English Common Law at one time incorporated such inequalities into the laws of intestate succession, with half siblings taking only half as much property. Unequal treatment of this type has been almost wholly abolished in England and throughout much of the United States. A very small minority of states in the US, on the other hand, have retained some of the antiquated distinctions in their inheritance law. In Oklahoma, for example, "half blood" siblings are not permitted to inherit property through intestate succession which descends from the family whose "blood" (family line) they do not share.^[1] In Texas, similarly, "half blood relatives can only inherit half as much property through intestate succession as relatives who are wholly related to the person who dies."^[2]

Rare sibling relationships

It is possible to have a sibling that is more than a half sibling but less than a full sibling. For example, if one of the child's parents dies and the surviving parent marries a sibling of the deceased spouse and they have a child, the two children would be three-quarter siblings to each other. They would share one parent in common but share all four grandparents. Essentially, the two children would be half siblings through one parental line and first cousins through the other parental line.

Siblings through breast feeding

In Islam those who are breastfed by a woman other than their biological mother become siblings to the biological children of that woman provided that they are less than 2 years old and have been breastfed five times or more by that woman. According to the shariah these siblings are not allowed to marry each other.

Regressive behavior at the birth of a new sibling

The arrival of a new baby is especially stressful for the firstborn and for siblings between 3-5 years old. Regressive behavior and aggressive behavior, such as handling the baby roughly, can also occur. All of these symptoms are considered to be typical and developmentally appropriate for children between the ages of 3-5. While some can be prevented, the remainder can be improved within a few months. Regressive behavior may include:

• Older child demanding to have their bottle,
• Thumb sucking,
• Requesting to wear diapers (even though they may be toilet-trained), or
• Request to carry their security blanket.

How Do I Manage This? Regressive behaviors are a way of demanding parents’ love and attention and reassuring that the child still has it. Here are some strategies to deal with these behaviors:

• Explain to the older child their new sibling role and make it sound exciting
• Answer any questions the children may have about the baby and the process of birth itself (as appropriate)
• Reserve some special time each day just for you and your older child after the new baby’s arrival.

How Long Will This Last? The AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) suggests that new older siblings will soon return to their normal routine when they realize that they now have just as important a place in the family as the new sibling. Most of the behaviors can be improved within a few months.

Summary of Best Practice Recommendations: [American Academy of Pediatrics; http://aap.org]: Regression of some developmentally appropriate behaviors is to be expected in children whose families are preparing for or already have a new baby. [AAP; http://aap.org] suggests that instead of protesting or telling children to act their age, parents should simply grant their requests, and not get upset. The affected children will soon return to their normal routine when they realize that they now have just as important a place in the family as the new sibling.

[University of Michigan Health System; http://www.med.umich.edu/]: Although most occurrences of regressive behavior are mild and to be expected, it is recommended that you contact your pediatrician or child psychologist if your older child tries to hurt the baby, if regressive behavior does not improve by 2-3 months, or if you have other questions or concerns.

See also

• Sibling rivalry
• Father
• Mother
• Family
• Cousin chart

Notes