Sibling Bullying Doesn’t Start With Siblings. It Starts With Parents.
When we talk about sibling bullying, most people imagine rivalry: typical fights over toys, attention, or space. But that’s not the full picture.
In many cases, sibling bullying is rooted in something deeper — the behavior of the parent.
When a parent compares one child to another, shows obvious favoritism, or uses one child as a scapegoat for their frustrations, they’re not just creating a rift — they’re planting seeds of resentment, insecurity, and competition.
Those seeds can grow into patterns of emotional bullying, verbal abuse, and covert manipulation between siblings. Over time, the bullied sibling may begin to internalize these dynamics as normal, even though the wounds last long after childhood.
At The Echo Movement, we believe it’s time to shift the conversation. This isn’t just “sibling drama.” It’s a learned behavior, often reinforced by toxic family systems and unchecked parental dynamics.
If you’ve been caught in this kind of dynamic — where one sibling is constantly undermined while another is enabled — you’re not imagining it. And you’re not alone.
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Let’s make an echo that calls out unhealthy family dynamics — and gives survivors the language to name what they’ve been through.
