In some families there are elder siblings who take care of their younger siblings in the absence of their parents.

Those families which are economically weak don’t send their elder children to school. Elder children take care of their younger siblings. But the age gap between these children should not be much. In such cases elder sibling cannot take care of younger children properly in families where elder siblings love and respect each other and doesn’t fight with each other, younger children also learn these traits.

They learn to cooperate and sympathise with other people. The child learns the same type of lan­guage as his elder siblings speak. They also learn manners and habits from their siblings. If the age gap between elder and younger sibling is less than the parents should seek some other type of substitute care for the child.

Advantages of sibling care:

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(a) The child lives with his own family mem­bers. He doesn’t feel the absence of par­ents much. He feels secure in the com­pany of his siblings.

(b) The child imitates the moral values imbibed by his siblings and learns them.

(c) The love and affection developed during early stages of life is the foundation of later relationships between siblings.

{d) The child learns language, motor, social skills under the guidance and encour­agement of his siblings.

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Disadvantages of sibling care:

(a) Siblings are also of young age and don’t have enough experience to take care of children.

(b) Some sort of emergency like, when the child is ill or in case of minor accident they cannot do much to help the young child.

(c) They remain uneducated because they have to take care of their younger sib­lings.

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(d) If the siblings are not grow n up then they cannot guide the child properly.