There are benefits to having a sibling! Having a brother or sister can impact how confident a child is, how well they do in school, how they interact with friends, can boost a younger siblings language development and their understanding of others point of view. It can even play a role in the development of empathy.
Empathy is the key to understanding another’s perspective and valuing people. Children who are kind, supportive and understanding, influence their siblings to act and behave in similar ways. These empathetic traits develop into life-long behaviors towards friends, spouses and parents.
Although siblings can be a good support for helping raise an empathetic child, it’s not required! This article from the Making, Caring, Common Project at Harvard shares tips on cultivating empathy.