Alexandria,
VA, April 30, 2002 -“Sibling
‘Rivalry Rage’ is epidemic in our society today.
Parents are accountable because they don’t spend the right
kind and amount of time with children,” says Lorraine
Friedman (aka Rainey) , a nationally respected children’s
rights attorney and pioneering author, who coined the term Sibling
“Rivalry Rage.”
The recent murder of a six-year old child in Texas by his siblings
has blown the lid off a hidden American tragedy. The violence
that tears at the core of the family unit is rampant –
53 out of every 100 children abuse a brother or sister. Parents
think it’s natural for their children to fight, but as
evidenced by recent events, the fighting often gets out of hand.
Rainey’s research shows that when all types of mild aggression
and extreme violence toward a sibling are considered, there’s
an estimated 36 million individual acts of sibling aggression
each year.
Rainey says, “It’s okay for children to ‘feel’
jealousy, envy and other emotions. As loving parents we need
to let children express their feelings through expression, not
suppression …interaction, not reaction. Parents must learn
to truly listen to what their children are saying and experiencing
and then guide them in developing their own problem solving
skills.”
“Parents can act now to stop Sibling ‘Rivalry Rage’
through the three R’s – ‘Rhythm, Rhyme and
Reason,’” Rainey explains.
“‘Rhythm’ means creating a pattern of sharing
real time with our children, giving them 100 percent of our
attention. ‘Rhyme’ means really listening and creating
a safe place for our children to talk through rather than act
out feelings. And, ‘Reason’ is using your brain
to raise happy, healthy children with positive self-esteem by
giving each child ‘alone time’ with you, and ten
times more positive reinforcement than negative.”
Rainey’s
children’s picture book, “Jerome’s Jam”
is a wonderful resource for parents and children to deal with
the jealousy feelings of a new sibling. Jazz the Dream Dog™,
the doggie with a magical rainbow tail, helps Jerome discover
how fun it will be to help his new baby sister learn things
he already knows. “More Love” is the companion music
album to “Jerome’s Jam” that features fun,
uplifting Sing Along Songs that expand the story through music.
Rainey’s new book and album (DreamDog Press 2002) debuts
at Book Expo America, May 3-5 at the Javits Convention Center
in NYC.
Says Elaine Leader, PhD, director of Teen Line, a peer-to-peer
counseling hot line at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles,
“Rivalry between siblings has become an accepted phenomena
of family life. It is important to address this issue as soon
or even prior, to the birth of a sibling. Any book that sheds
light on this issue are welcome, and the rare one that really
helps the children deal with the complexity of sibling-related
feelings, such as Rainey’s latest book, ‘Jerome’s
Jam,’ are a find!”
“Jerome’s Jam” and Rainey’s previous
book “Monsters in Your Bed…Monsters in Your Head”
are also published in print Braille with overlays for parents
and children with visual impairments in alliance with Clovernook
Center for the Blind (www.clovernook.org).
Media review copies are available from doug@dreamdog.com
or 703.535.1545, and Rainey’s Sing Along Songs can be
previewed at www.dreamdog.com/mp3/.
About Rainey and Jazz the DreamDog™
Rainey is an inspiring author, children’s rights attorney,
and storyteller. As an attorney advocate she has fought for
the rights of homeless and disabled children and founded Homeless
Children’s Awareness Day. She has been the guest of hundreds
of radio and TV shows where she has inspired tens of thousands
of parents to “open a dialogue with their children.”
‘Jazz the DreamDog’ was inspired by her own dog
Jazz, a golden retriever/dachshund mix, who helped Rainey realize
you can make a huge difference through the belief…“The
Magic is in YOU!” TM Reach Rainey at rainey@dreamdog.com
or 703.622.0965.
About DreamDog Press
DreamDog Press publishes Jazz the DreamDog TM picture books,
print Braille books, music CDs/cassettes, videos and activity
books and interactive Web community - www.DreamDog.com. The
DreamDog Foundation (www.DreamDog.org) is the non-profit philanthropic
partner of DreamDog Press that establishes partnerships with
organizations that support disadvantaged children.
*Statistics on sibling abuse from Dr. Vernon Wiehe, professor
of social work, University of Kentucky
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