Help! My Teen Is Violent Towards Siblings

At Sundance Canyon Academy, we often hear from parents who don’t know what to do when teens become violent toward their siblings. Our therapists have worked with a variety of families whose children struggle with violence and anger issues. We are writing on this topic today to help parents understand the steps they can take to curb anger outbursts and gauge when it’s time to intervene with more severe measures.

As siblings grow up together, there are going to be spats. They will argue and fuss with each other about all kinds of things. In almost all families, annoying your siblings is a popular pastime amongst kids. Similarly, nearly all parents get tired of listening to their children’s arguments.

Sibling rivalry is entirely normal and generally doesn’t escalate into anything of major concern. You may need to step in to teach your kids how to disagree respectfully and how to honor each other’s boundaries, but that’s about it. Competition between siblings is a regular part of childhood development, and it shouldn’t require a ton of extra attention on your part.

Sometimes though, arguments among siblings take on a much more serious tone. If your teen is violent toward their siblings, you have a problem on your hands. When sibling rivalry becomes physical, the entire household is affected. There is even more c