Holidays multiply hours of coexistence, but they also offer a unique opportunity for children to learn to manage conflicts and strengthen their bond.Every summer, a familiar scene repeats for many families. Two siblings who just minutes ago were sharing games and laughter end up arguing about who gets to choose an activity first, about the last ice cream from the freezer, or about deciding what to watch on television. Arguments arise suddenly, often for seemingly insignificant reasons, and can wear down coexistence. Faced with this succession of daily conflicts, many families ask themselves the same question: how is it possible for children to fight so much during a time that should be associated with rest, shared time, and calm?The answer has a lot to do with the changes that holidays bring. During the school year, children spend a good part of the day separated. School, extracurricular activities, and friends offer their own spaces and reduce continuous coexistence. In the summer, on the other hand, many of these structures disappear. Siblings share more hours, more spaces, and more moments of boredom. And when coexistence increases, disagreements also inevitably increase.

"Families should be aware that the relationship between siblings, beyond encouraging it to be the best possible, will depend on the personality of each sibling," says Estrella Ferreira, a professor at the Faculty of Psychology at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB). Each sibling has their own personality and interests, but doing things together that everyone enjoys can be encouraged, so as not to weaken the relationship. Maria Helena Tolosa, teacher, psychopedagogue, trainer, and author ofOur daily conflicts, agrees: "It's a bond that deserves respect, but they don't have to be friends. The relationship between siblings has a degree in itself, which is different from that of friends, although if both come together it's wonderful."

He's present every day. He's simply part of the family. For some, he's become unattainable, distant, and absent; for others, he can be a rival or even a hindrance that forces them to learn to share. A sibling is and always will be a sibling, but this figure loses all meaning when it lacks the most important thing: the bond. An affinity that ignores age variables because there can be a great difference but, at the same time, great cohesion; or there can be disinterest, rivalry, and competition, yet they can be only months apart. And when siblings aren't blood relatives? The realities of separated families (or other types) add new variables. What doesn't change—and never will—is that the bond between siblings depends, in and of itself, on many factors, and that, in these situations, the parents—who have a lot to say and do—become a pillar that tips the balance toward a context of conflict or resolution.