A little jealousy is normal, but these ten stories show when it gets a bit rougher.
Emotional Turmoil
My kids are grown now, but I was shocked to learn that my two older children once told the youngest—when he was about one—that he was adopted. They hid his baby photos to "prove" he joined the family later. They warned him that if he misbehaved or didn’t listen, they’d ask us (the parents) to take him back to the orphanage! My youngest found his baby pictures as a teenager, and the older kids finally admitted it was all a lie. He laughs about it now, but I was stunned that my older kids could be so cruel.
The Dog
My son got caught regularly pushing his little brother’s pacifiers and bottles into the dog’s mouth, then back into the baby’s.
The Tutu
When our daughter was born, my son couldn’t handle getting less attention. One day, he came home from preschool wearing a pink tutu. He’d borrowed it from a little girl and announced he was a girl too. He thought if he became a girl, we’d fuss over him like we did his baby sister.
Rolling
My wife had been saying for a while that our older son was hurting his little brother, but I brushed it off, saying I fought with my brother a lot as a kid. Then one day, I saw him push his brother down the stairs right in front of me. That’s when I took him to a specialist myself.
Mommy
My daughter was four when her little brother was born, and she’d been eagerly awaiting him. She was happy about the baby, but in an almost unhealthy way… She wasn’t jealous of her brother but of me. She said she was the baby’s little mom and didn’t want me near him. She became aggressive toward me and would throw tantrums when I was nursing. It was incredibly hard managing both the newborn and her outbursts. Eventually, things settled, but I still think of that year as a nightmare.
Flames
One evening I walked into the nursery to find my three-year-old son trying to light the baby’s crib sheet on fire with his dad’s lighter—while the baby was sleeping in it. After that, we moved the crib into our bedroom and locked the door every night.
Mimicry
Our daughter struggled with her sister’s arrival and started acting like a baby again at two years old. She regressed—wetting herself, demanding diapers and a pacifier—and for months didn’t speak, only screamed when she wanted something. It was a tough time.
The Grades
My straight-A daughter was nine when her brother was born and wasn’t happy about it. She got our attention by deliberately dropping her grades in every subject. Teachers said they knew she understood the material but she’d stay silent during tests and hand in blank papers. She had to see a school psychologist because she went from top student to failing all her classes.
Destruction
After her sister was born, my five-year-old daughter turned into a little demon. She broke all the baby’s toys and wanted to destroy everything that belonged to her sister. For the baby’s christening, grandma bought both girls beautiful outfits costing a fortune so they’d look nice in photos. The next morning, the older one had shredded her sister’s dress with scissors.
The Rubik’s Cube Is Cast
I was washing dishes in the kitchen when I noticed an unusual silence—never a good sign with a baby and a four-year-old in the house. I looked into the living room and saw the baby sleeping peacefully in the crib, while my older son stood over him, holding a Rubik’s cube high. I shouted at him, and with a blank stare, he looked me in the eye and threw the cube full force at his brother’s face. I rushed over and slapped him hard with my wet hand, and both kids started crying. We saw a child psychologist for years before he could accept his little brother. He still doesn’t like him, but at least he no longer hurts him.
