Dr. Jade's Guide to Sibling Rivalry

It’s horrible. It’s…SIBLING RIVALRY! Whoa… caps lock.

As I was saying, sibling rivalry is very common in houses with 2 or more pets. Two of my pets fight regularly, and from past experiences, I have gathered a collection of tips to help you through these troubled times. (Wow, I sound like that guy who wrote those weird poems! Yay!)

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STEP 1: Try to figure out the reason your pets are fighting.

Most of the time it’s something incredibly pathetic, such as: “She took my toothbrush!” “He ate the last cookie!” “She was seen plotting with my sworn enemy!” Okay, so the last one is a little serious. But that’s not the point. What you must do is: let them solve it themselves. “WHAT!” you scream, and now I’ve gone partially deaf in one ear. Gee, thanks. Yes, I did say that. But I don’t mean totally. If they start tearing the house down, or making it worse, step in! (Because if you don’t, your billion neopoint home is going to need quite a few repairs…)

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STEP 2: How and when to step in

To step in, you have to know what’s going on. Don’t rush in and scream “You’re all grounded until you stop fighting!” That will NOT help in the slightest. In fact, it just might make them madder. When to step in is the hard part. Do it only when they are going to hurt themselves, petpets, or other things and people. If not, they’ll never learn to solve problems on their own, and you’ll get a bunch of spoiled brats who depend on you constantly. And nobody wants that. Try to solve the problem with an unbiased attitude. If that is impossible, go on to step 3.

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STEP 3: Finding an unbiased referee

This is best when you have a third or fourth pet who is not involved in the argument. Mine was my youngest, Dove.

Have the referee try to work it out between the other two or three. Chances are, if they’re not biased too, you’ll have the conflict resolved. But what if they start fighting again? Never fear, more useless tips are here!

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STEP 4: Vacation, relaxation, and just general fun

When steps 1-3 aren’t working, maybe this is the problem: They’re stuck with each other, and it bugs them. Maybe send them to their best friends house, or to camp. I sent my Kougra to my cousin, Allie. After Merry came back, she didn’t fight with Persia as much.

Although you might think all of you going on vacation would be a great idea, DON’T! They’ll just feel stuck with their siblings in a different part of Neopia. If you still insist, try going to different places with only one pet in tow. The rest can play on the beach, go shopping, or do something like that. If this step doesn’t work, it means 2 things: 1: Your pets are worse than mine. 2: They might be jealous!

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STEP 5: When your pets are jealous of one another

Jealousy is incredibly common among younger pets, as they tend to feel overshadowed, causing them to blame the pet who does something better than they do. Sit the whole family down, and go over everyone’s feelings. Find out why they’re jealous. Maybe it’s because more people came to Persia’s Battledome match than their match. Maybe it’s because they need attention, but are too afraid to ask for it. It differs from pet to pet. If that doesn’t work, there are a few more steps. After that, you’re on your own.

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STEP 6: Quality time with *insertnamehere*

Okay, it’s kind of cheesy, but it does work! Maybe your pet is too afraid to tell what’s bugging them in front of the whole family, but when it’s just you, they might be more apt to tell than if their sisters are recording it all. And it gives you a chance to learn more about your pet. *sobs* It’s so… true! Finding out what they like and dislike will help you in the long run. If that doesn’t work… your pets have issues.

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STEP 6: Walk a mile in their shoes

Or two, if you’re feeling up to it. I mean, look at it from your pet’s point of view, and go from there. Maybe they fight with their sister or brother because they get teased at school, etc. And you might really see how your pet feels about this, and if you can put a stop to it, maybe lessening the amount of fights your pets have. If you need more help, you might consider enrolling your pets in an academy or camp.

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STEP 7: When it’s out of your hands

If your pets fight even more, you might want to see if there is a program that can help, or a neighbor, cousin, etc. But when I say this, DO NOT enroll them in a place that will suck the individuality out of them, because you’ll end up with a bunch of goody, um, how many shoes your pet needs. Sometimes meeting new pets and owners will give them new friends, causing less rivalry. If THAT doesn’t work, there are three more steps. After that, your pets are probably evil.

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STEP 8: After-Neoschool activities

If TNT ever gets around to it, you can sign them up for Art Club, Gormball, etc. They’ll meet new pets, and learn interesting things.

And, they might enjoy it, making your house slightly less crazy.

Or, if there are none they like, consider teaching them things you’ve learned. Like cooking, the art of thievery from the Snowager… the possibilities are almost endless. Step 9 and Step 10 are easier, especially for newbies.

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STEP 9: Take them places with you

When you go to the Games Room, I’m sure your pets, (if they don’t come with you already) would like to come. But bring only one of them, so they can enjoy the fun without their sisters or brothers tagging along. You would earn more Neopoints, and your pets would be happier. Step 10 is the final one, so after that, mail your pets to Dr. Sloth. I’m sure he needs pets like that.

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STEP 10: Try to make things fair as possible

It might help, if, on your pet’s birthdays, you get the others a small present so they don’t feel left out. This would reduce the cries of: “I want presents too!” You’d have less headaches, and your house would be much more peaceful. Also, don’t give one pet more attention, unless they really need it, like if they’re little or something. Don’t give one pet a Krawk, and the other a Spyder; this will give them another reason to fight.

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Alright, that’s all I’ve learned so far, so if that doesn’t help, I’m really sorry. As I learn more I might do a part II, so be on the lookout!

That’s just about it, but if you’re too lazy to think about this, I can sum it up for you: TALK TO YOUR PETS! ENJOY THEM! They’re not toys, and they need plenty of attention like we do! Thanks for reading Dr. Jade’s guide to sibling rivalry!

Author's Note: Hi! If you’re reading this, it means I got into the NT! Woot! Allie245 plays Neopets, and she is my real cousin. Most of the I’ve actually derived from experiences in the RW, (Yes it exists! Unfortunately…) I hope you enjoyed reading this, comments, ideas, hate mail, fan mail are always appreciated, and I’ll try to answer back! Bye!