Being a parent is hard, especially when you have more than one child. Even the best sibling relationships have their fair share of conflicts and fights. Sibling fights can be over literally anything – toys, food, attention, or because they have clashing personalities.
While we can’t force our children to become best friends, we can teach them how to resolve conflicts positively and without screaming and hitting. Here are a few tips to keep the peace between siblings!
Teach Positive Conflict Resolution
You should teach your kids how to deal with arguments and disagreements constructively and positively. This could mean teaching them how to actually listen to what their siblings have to say. Teach them how to calm down and compromise with each other without resorting to name-calling and screaming.
Working out conflicts and arguments calmly and positively will help them understand and care for both sides of the argument. As a bonus, this constructive way of handling fights will also help them later on in life to resolve conflicts at home and at work.
Never Compare Your Children
Don’t compare your children to each other. Comparing siblings to each other causes them to feel insecure and hurt. It creates competition between the siblings, which leads to even more arguments and more fights.
For example, if one of your kids doesn’t pick up after himself after dinner, instead of saying, “Why can’t you clean up like your brother?” Tell them that the dishes need to be cleaned and put in their place. This also goes for when you are praising your child. Praise your children without comparing them with each other.
Praise The Positive
If and when you see your children getting along and playing with each other, make an effort to recognize and praise them. You see your kids sharing a toy; make sure to let them know how you love seeing them share and play together.
Providing your kids positive attention help reduce their negative behavior. If your children only receive attention from you when something negative happens, it will cause an increase in their negative behaviors just to seek attention from you.
Have Family Fun
Plan family activities and fun times for the whole family. Playing board games or team games together with your kids gives them a good time to bond with each other and create positive and fun memories together. These bonding moments help you keep the peace between siblings and let you spend some quality time with the kids.
Listen
During and after fights, children are angry, emotional, and frustrated. Take the time to listen and recognize their feelings. Also, make sure to listen to both sides of the story. All siblings will have their own side to each fight, and if all siblings feel heard and understood, they are much more likely to feel satisfied and at peace.
Listen to them without interrupting them and without passing judgment. You can give your advice and punishments after giving them the chance to speak about the issues.
