How to raise an only girl with brothers fairly
Raising an only girl among brothers requires treating everyone equally by enforcing the same rules and avoiding stereotyped chores or forced gender expectations. Failing to balance these dynamics can lead to unfair double standards and friction within the family.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Treating children the same regardless of genderDid this help you?
- 2Ensuring brothers learn how to respect their sisterDid this help you?
- 3Allowing the daughter to join in traditional boy activities while also supporting her individual interestsDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“My older brother got me into video games. He taught me about all of the nerdy stuff there is to know. Anime, cool music, etc.”source ↗
“Don't give her tasks you think are beneath the boys like cleaning toilets. 🙄🙄🙄”source ↗
“Apply the same rules to her as you would to the boys. I am the middle child, with a boy on either side and my parents often let my oldest brother have different rules apply to him because he was a boy.”source ↗
“I’m the only girl with 2 brothers and honestly, I think the biggest thing for me is that you don’t want to push the super super girly stuff just because she’s the only girl.”source ↗
“My brother is the cause of my cptsd. He took my entire life from me at 5 years old. Dont trust that they will do the right thing every chance they get, make sure they know what the right things are and why they are important.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 9How to handle sibling rivalry when kids compete in the same activities
- 7Older child acting out and getting jealous after new baby
- 3How to handle family schedules when siblings refuse to attend practices
- 4Why is my sibling always jealous of me?
- 9How to handle extreme physical aggression between siblings
- 5How to handle a tense mother-in-law on your wedding morning