Sanya Goel
Every individual is born with different characteristics such as physical features (skin color, body weight and height, eye color etc.) and psychological characteristics like intelligence, creativity, aptitude etc. All these individual differences make a person unique and helps them to stand out from the crowd. Every child is different from the other and has their own unique qualities and potentials. Some maybe good in sports, others could be a brilliant dancer, while someone could be a painter.
Children are very sensitive and their parents approval and validation means a lot to them. When parents fail to provide their appreciations and approvals to the children, it may affect the parent-child relationship drastically.
Constant comparison with a sibling makes matters worse. In a lot of families, siblings are being compared with each other on different grounds such as academic performance, physical features, psychological characteristics, talents, job etc. Such a comparison develops an inferior complex within the child and there arises a feeling that the child is not loved enough by their parents.
Let’s go through about a few effects of these kinds of comparisons on the child:
- Low self-esteem within the child.
- Jealousy and feeling of hatred towards the sibling.
- Feeling of being unwanted and unworthy.
- Loss of interest in activities.
- Depression and anxiety.
- Strained relationship with parents.
