My three grandsons elevated sibling rivalry into a form of guerella warfare.
I was worried that if it continued into their late teen years that the younger one, who delighted in picking on his next-older brother, would get sent to the hospital. Fortunately he made his peace while he still had all his teeth. His brother, who works out three days a week is burly and hard as a brick.
Sibling rivalry is a great force in turning boys into men, particularly if there's a dad around who makes his presence known as the Enforcer, the Top Dog, the Supreme Patriarch Not To Be Messed With - the dispenser of freedom, car keys, living space and food.
My daughter got upset recently when her newly-sprouted young adolescent 12-year-old, with the juices beginning to flow, got into what she described as a "real fight" with his 14-year-old and much bigger brother.
"Short of a trip to the emergency room," I told her, "Let 'em fight it out. They're liable for property damage and have to put back together whatever they wreck. When their faces are no longer red, talk to them in that gentle but firm way t you have - and brace yourself for more until they're both around nineteen or so."
"If it happens in front of Matt (her husband) what would he do? " I asked. Matt is a vet, a combat pilot with some heavy lifting behind him. "Probably the same think," she answered.
Sibling rivalry among fit and well-parented brothers is a fatastic mans of character development and growth. If in doubt, ask Puka Nakua.
