Some parents pit children against each other. Some try to foster a sense of team spirit and support.

Luckily my mother always told us: "That's your sister and you LOVE her. She'll be your best friend forever and you have to look out each other."

My DH's mother pits his sisters against each other. They're always vying for her approval and sometimes the best way to get it is to cut the other down. They're "best friends" but they hate each other. They compete in EVERYthing and say really awful things to each other and say "Oh, just kidding". But they aren't. I've gasped aloud at some of the vicious things they've said to each other.

And the stakes get higher and the blows lower with each passing year. No longer bickering about who lost more weight on the fad diet or who has the better tan or earrings, they have better fodder now. Marriage, children, careers; the sore spots are deeper and the shots are getting cheaper. The most MIL will say when things get ugly is "Oh, come on now..." Sometimes she laughs at what they say. It's a sickening thing to watch.