America is in the peak of wedding season, which also means there’s drama galore happening all over the show. Tying the knot is meant to be a happy experience, but all too often, it brings out the worst in some people and leads to stress, disagreements, and even physical altercations.
A bride was left with a black eye, a cut on her cheek, and some missing hair just days before her bachelorette. She was attacked by her own sister, who claims she “didn’t mean to hit her.” The sister says she was reacting to having her hair pulled by her “Bridezilla” sibling. The two were arguing about the wedding, after the bride told her younger sister that her long-term boyfriend can’t attend the big day.
She gave her sister a black eye just days before her bachelorette party
Image credits: SkelDry / Magnific (not the actual photo)
She’s angry about her long-term BF being banned from the wedding, while she’s paired up with a creepy groomsman
Image credits: teksomolika / Magnific (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Fellipe Ditadi / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Camandona / Magnific (not the actual photo)
Image credits: ThrowRA-calicoastin
“She’s just a toddler”: many felt the bride was childish and that the sister acted in self-defense
She revealed that she’d skipped the bachelorette party, and also gave an update after the wedding
Image credits: branin / Magnific (not the actual photo)
Image credits: jet-po / Magnific (not the actual photo)
Image credits: alexbrod89 / Magnific (not the actual photo)
Image credits: ThrowRA-calicoastin
Studies show that sibling conflict may happen up to eight times an hour, but here’s when to worry
It’s not unusual for siblings to argue and fight. In fact, it’s quite normal. Some observational studies have shown that sibling conflict may happen up to eight times an hour. Researchers have also found that pairs of sisters tend to be the closest, while sibling dyads that include a brother have the most conflict.
Jeanine Vivona, a professor of psychology at the College of New Jersey, is somewhat of an expert on sibling rivalry, having studied it. “Competition with siblings is just a fact of life,” she says. “And we, as people with siblings and people with children, can just try to manage it as best we can.”
Vivona explains that children are “always going to push for preferential treatment,” over their siblings because they want to be seen as the most special by their parents. But siblings’ fights may vary in intensity and frequency depending on the age of the children.
“Conflict does decrease into adolescence; it sort of levels off,” reveals Dr. Mark Feinberg, a research professor of health and human development at Pennsylvania State University. “Early and middle childhood are particularly difficult times for sibling aggression.”
According to Feinberg, sibling rivalry serves a developmental purpose in that it helps children figure out what is unique and special about themselves. This is also known as “differentiation.” They may choose certain hobbies or interests based on their siblings’ skills. For example, if one is great at a certain sport, the other may avoid it altogether for fear of not being as good.
There’s a difference between sibling rivalry and sibling aggression, warn Corinna Jenkins Tucker and Tanya Rouleau Whitworth, the authors of The Science of Siblings.
“Unlike rivalry, aggressive sibling behaviors, including emotional, physical, and property aggression, are motivated by a desire to cause harm and suffering,” they explain.
The experts add that displays of emotional aggression include humiliation, threats, and intimidation, while physical aggression includes things like causing physical pain through purposefully hitting, pinching, kicking, and beating are examples of physical aggression.
Tucker and Whitworth caution that aggressive behaviors can leave a sibling feeling mistreated and should be stopped immediately.
“If parents or caregivers do not intervene to stop sibling aggression, it may escalate to become more severe over time,” say the experts. “A parent’s failure to intervene may also be experienced as a second victimization by the harmed child.”
Research has shown that aggressive sibling behavior can have a long-lasting impact on a child’s mental and physical health, as well as social relationships.
“All of you sound like garbage people”: the update wasn’t well-received by everyone
