Do your kids get along well with one another?

Families are so important to us, and our connections and memories last a lifetime...

And in many families, kids are frequently bickering, squabbling, or actually physically fighting and injuring one another.

Are you getting pulled in to take sides, referee or treat the injuries?

Every family has a unique way to be together and in the world... what is your way?

Sibling Rivalry

Is it a thing in your family?

Ask yourself these questions:

• Do the kids fight in ways that result in bad feelings or injuries?
• Do the kids skillfully negotiate things like game rules, sharing, taking turns being in charge, cooperating on projects, etc?
• Do the kids play together in mixed age groups, or are some kids excluded?

Do you want lower conflict in your home?

Sibling rivalry, the way we mean in the Western world, is largely a product of some unreasonable assumptions about kids (including that sibling rivalry is 'normal' or unavoidable.)

It is possible to have siblings who don't fight, who get more skilled at communicating and negotiating over time, and who happily play together and with other kids in mixed-age groups.

The key in it all is 'who is leading?'

Using Your Family Values

If you value cooperation, peace, and respect, it's easy to see how intentionally moving toward those makes sibling rivalry unlikely, brief, and rarely repeated.

When parents refuse to accept vicious or violent fighting amongst their kids because it's disrespectful... or who lead the 'tone' of the family in handling conflicts cooperatively... or who model skillful and peaceful negotiations...

...the atmosphere of that home is vastly different from where kids are expected to 'work it out on their own' and allowed to fight it out...