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Preparing Your Firstborn for a New Sibling
Understanding childhood fears around sibling arrival
I’m a firstborn and was an only child for 15 years. Because of that, I experienced all the privileges of being a single child, and I was deeply loved. The thought of having a sibling once felt like a scary dream. I never wanted to share my parents’ love and care with anyone. I was so possessive of them.
I already had this behavior, but the sad reality was that some of my relatives teased me about it just to see my reaction. It was like entertainment for them. Being a child, I fell for their false stories. Some of them said things like:
“When you have a sibling, you will no longer be loved by your parents.”
“They may not need you.”
“They won’t care for you, and all their attention will shift to the younger one.”
Unfortunately, I believed all these lies. These ideas were injected into my mind so deeply that I started to hate the idea of having siblings – even before my mother had conceived.
Even today, I hate those words because they left a lasting impact on my life. I believe we should never plant false information in a child’s mind because they are too young to distinguish between right and wrong. They absorb everything without…
