Question
Dear Rabbi Gruen,
Firstly, thank you so much for all your insightful shiurim on Torah Anytime which I benefit from greatly.
I am seeking guidance on how to deal with an issue my seven-year-old daughter has, which I am sure is not uncommon. She is the third child of four in the family and is by nature a soft, gentle, obedient girl. She is currently struggling with jealousy. She is constantly looking at what others have and comparing it to what she has.
Before a sibling’s birthday, she expressed in advance that if I don’t buy her the same present as her sister is going to get, it will be too hard for her. I explained that each child has their chance to have their birthday — she had hers a few months ago so we went through the lovely presents she received (and how there are other opportunities when she may receive presents, such as Afikoman), but nevertheless when her sister received her birthday present, she cried uncontrollably.
She is quite a deep thinker so we have tried discussing the topic with her, obviously at an age-appropriate level, but when it comes to situations such as these, she really finds it challenging.
Would you perhaps have some guidance in how to deal with this so we can hopefully begin to guide her at this young age on how to view things through a better lens which will iy”H help her throughout her life?
I look forward to your response.
