Here are three simple tweaks that can break a cycle of sibling arguing and fighting. They're the necessary first steps to creating more peace, harmony, and enjoyment in your home. In the next post, I'll expand on these with seven more tips to end sibling fighting. But this is where you begin.
1. If you're still trying to make your children get along, the solution is simple: STOP. But first, I want you to observe their fighting and stop getting involved.
2. Because kids usually fight for their parents, the solution is just to watch what happens when you act like you dont notice. Walk out of the room or act like you found something more interesting to pay attention to. That doesnt mean you ignore a situation where you think someone is in serious jeopardy of being hurt, but it does mean you learn to ignore the fighting that is designed to engage YOU.
When my kids were little, I walked around with headphones and pretended to listen to music. This drove them nuts, but within a few short minutes, they were either dancing with me or laughing at my taste in music. In either case, the fighting stopped, and we could move on with our day.
In either case, the fighting stopped, and we could move on with our day.
3. If you are doing things for your children that they could do for themselves, the solution is to: Invite, Train, Encourage and Support your children as they begin to engage in navigating the hills and valleys of their lives.
By inviting, training, encouraging and supporting your children, you'll begin to notice that everyone is in a new relationship with each other. No one will seem all that interested in fighting with each other.
If you just realized that you do too much for your children.
