Whenever people find out about jealousy in youngsters, they often times basically misunderstand the issue on hand. The stereotypical concept of a jealous child is the one about sibling rivalry, or perhaps the jealousy of a child expressed towards their sibling. This has resulted in some people thinking that jealousy is usually the consequence of insufficient attention being given to a single child. Even though this could be a reason for jealousy in kids, it needs to additionally be considered that giving a youngster an excessive amount of attention may also make them possessive and jealous of maybe the slightest bit of attention given elsewhere. To understand jealousy within your child, it is very important to really address the primary underlying reason behind this jealousy.

In its most common form, jealousy stems from a lack of self-confidence or low self-esteem. This can manifest itself at a young age, and children can often grow more jealous over time as their main issue of lacking confidence in their own ability or worth takes a firmer hold. Parents looking to deal with jealous children should talk with their children extensively. Try and identify any feelings of inadequacy or perceived short-comings, and take steps to address the problems identified. Games and techniques to build self-confidence and boost self-esteem can be extremely beneficial for this type of jealousy.

It is important to remember that while jealousy often results in a child misbehaving, only their misbehaviours should be punished. The feeling of jealousy is a natural one, and one that most adults experience on a regular basis. Understanding what causes your child to feel jealous is vital, as you can explain the feeling and take steps to help your child deal with their feelings in a constructive manner. Similarly, if you understand the cause, you can take actions that will prevent these feelings from happening more often.

Finally, it is an unfortunate truth that jealousy in children is often the result of the actions of parents. Parents can set a bad example by expressing their own feelings of jealousy in front of their children. This might not be intentional, but a child that sees jealousy in their parents is more likely to act out when they have those same feelings. Similarly, children should always be judged on their own merits and not compared to other children unnecessarily. If your child scores 7 out of 10 in their spelling test, you should not ask them what score their friends got and if any of them scored 8, 9 or 10 out of 10. This instils a feeling of jealousy in the child. Rather, parents should complement the child on a good score, and look at the questions that were answered incorrectly and demonstrate the correct answer. After all, when parents are comparing children, it is only reasonable that the children will do the same.