Hardwired Competition

Sibling conflict is not a failure of parenting. It is a biological inevitability. From an evolutionary perspective, siblings compete for parental resources — attention, food, care. This competition is hardwired.

Understanding this removes the guilt. Your children fight not because you did something wrong, but because they are designed to compete for your investment. The question is not how to eliminate conflict but how to help them handle it in ways that build skills rather than resentment.