• Fri   • Dec 6, 2013   • Updated: 8:04pm LifestyleFamily &
Education  A parents' guide to minimising sibling rivalry
Sibling rivalry can turn the home into a war zone. But there are
ways tokeep the peace, writes Karen Pittar  PUBLISHED : Tuesday,
18 June, 2013, 12:00am UPDATED : Tuesday, 18 June, 2013, 9:36am
For the second time in a weekend, Cindy found herself banishing
her two daughters to different corners of their home. She
wondered where she had gone wrong as a mother - the girls'
squabbles, screaming and general nastiness had escalated into
physical slapping and scratching.  "It was a classic case of
sibling rivalry, but I thought that only happened to babies and
toddlers," she says. "What is so upsetting is that my girls
aren't little any more - they're 13 and 16. They used to be such
good friends, but instead of sharing clothes and secrets, all
they do now is fight. Our house is like a war zone."  In the
teen years, parents need to shift from being a manager to a
consultant John Shanahan, psycholo