Wish you could get your kids to stop fighting? These 6 smart tactics drastically reduce the number of arguments in your home and help siblings get along.
Ugh…sibling rivalry. Is there anything more annoying? And if your kids are anything like mine, they somehow manage to fight over pretty much anything! While the battles may be over the tiniest details, the effects of that constant turmoil wear on everyone’s nerves. Have you ever wished for surefire way to just get your kids to STOP fighting?
While there is no magic wand for nipping sibling rivalry in the bud, there are a few strategies to try that can help short-circuit a huge amount of noise — and help you teach your kids valuable lessons about family life at the same time. Ultimately, getting your kids to stop fighting takes touch of ingenuity, a generous dose of authority, and a commitment to consistency. Here are six smart ways to keep the fighting to a minimum.
All too often, a bickering war starts because one child sees another getting something he/she doesn’t get, especially when it comes to time spent with a parent. The “slighted” child doesn’t even have to really WANT what’s being handed out; it’s the perceived preference (“Mom likes you best”) they find intolerable. You can short-circuit this nasty green-eyed monster effectively, and prevent the start of bickering, by making an effort to provide opportunities for each of them to participate with you in something they find enjoyable.
For example, if your son loves ball games, make sure your daughter (who could care less about sports) doesn’t have an opportunity to whine when Dad takes her brother off to the field, leaving her behind. Instead, think of something she loves to do, such as play her favorite board game or go out for ice cream, then make plans to do it at the same time. A little sneaky? Nope. Just creative.
It’s a classic scenario: something spills or breaks, someone takes a spill or gets hurt, and the screaming starts. When we go to investigate, what’s the first thing we hear? “I didn’t do it!” or “It’s not my fault!” or “She started it!”…or any of a hundred variations on the “blame game.” But there are magical words you can say in this melee that will virtually stop it in its tracks. Those words? “I don’t care who’s to blame. No one is in trouble. I just need to know what happened.”
The first time you do this, it might actually be a little funny to see the expressions on your kids’ faces as they struggle to make sense of the idea of not blaming their sibling. What it also does — which is even better — is reduce the situation to just that: a situation. It shrinks from a capital crime on someone’s part to what, 99 percent of the time, actually happened — a mistake or an accident. Whose mistake isn’t important; fixing the problem is. Try it a couple of times and see how fast your screamers become helpful assistants, once the fear of someone getting in trouble is removed from the equation.
All parents would love to have kids who treat each other kindly — who don’t belittle each other, call each other vicious names, poke holes in each other’s dreams, or deliberately break each other’s toys — but they end up being happy if they keep the “little monsters” from killing each other! Part of the dilemma, of course, is that kids are learning boundaries (and pushing them!), and they have a lot of growing-up to do before nicely finished, evolved personalities come out. But another answer lies in what you feed them.
No, we’re not necessarily talking nutrition here — although healthy food, proper sleep, and other prudent practices reduce a lot of bickering that comes from hunger, fatigue, or stress. Instead, it is what goes into your child’s mind and heart that will also “recycle” in their behavior. Be careful about what television shows and movies your children watch. Even so-called family entertainment freely uses insults, sarcasm, “stupid” parental figures, or other ill-treatment of others for a cheap laugh. Make sure that you are gently but firmly reinforcing the message that that kind of behavior doesn’t work in your home.
Speaking of what will or won’t fly in your house, don’t hesitate to make it clear (with appropriate consequences) that some things simply will not be tolerated in your home. Teasing a sibling can be fun and good-natured if both sides understand limits; taunting a sibling to the point of tears is neither fun nor acceptable. Letting kids fight it out can be a reasonable strategy if it’s a minor skirmish between brothers who are always roughhousing anyway…but it’s not if a much bigger kid is “letting loose” on a small, defenseless one.
It is also important that everyone in your home–even the adults–follow the house rules for fair fighting. If you wouldn’t let your kid behave in a certain way, don’t do it yourself. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t discipline your children in an appropriate way, but it does mean that it is not okay to call your spouse or your children cruel names, even in jest, or to threaten them with violence. It also means that you don’t allow visitors in your home to cross those lines, either.
Kids can often become whiny or argumentative simply because they’re bored. In situations where kids are forced to sit still, wear uncomfortable clothing, or be confined for long periods of time–such as a long car trip or rainy day–sooner or later, their patience wears thin and tears and complaints can follow. Working with your children’s lower threshold for frustration is key. It is a good idea to have high expectations for your kids, but it is also important to remember that they are still just kids, and plan accordingly.
This does not mean you should have the latest gadgets or technology to keep them busy at all times. Instead encourage your kids to find creative ways to entertain themselves by pre-planning a few options for them to choose from. (Our Summer Fun with Kids series is a great place to start!) It’s also helpful to know that your kids will be able to tolerate doses of confined spaces and quiet time a little better if they also have chances to get up and run around, play a game, read a book or sing a song, work a puzzle, or hear great stories that make them laugh along the way.
In our house most infractions are dealt with on the Naughty Stool (thank you Super Nanny!) But when it comes to two kids who are fighting, sometime drastic times call for drastic measures. We have found the best method to getting our kids to stop bickering is to put them on time-out together, facing each other and holding hands. They are not allowed to fight or bicker or they get another minute added to their time, and they don’t get to come off, even if their time is up, until they can apologize to each other and get along.
The first time I set the timer for 3 minutes, the next time it was 4 minutes, and so on, and, so that we don’t eventually accrue too may minutes, they can get time removed by getting along for a whole day. This simple solution has been an remarkably effective technique. (Apparently holding hands is tantamount to being tortured!) Most of the time we only have to mention holding hands to stop the bickering in its tracks.
Above all…
Show grace. Forgive yourself when all the preventive measures, firm rules, calm discipline, and ingenious attempts to keep your kids from meltdown don’t work, and show grace to your kids when they mess up too. No technique can guarantee 100 percent success 100 percent of the time. Conflicts, squabbling, and griping will happen; they’re human nature. When the blow-ups happen, try not to let them rattle you. Even mistakes can help your kids learn another invaluable lesson, that even when we all mess up, you don’t stop loving them — or yourself.
1. Spend Time With Each Child Individually.
2. Refuse to Play the Blame Game
3. Pay Attention to What Goes In.
4. Make House Rules Hold…For Everyone
5. Keep Idle Hands Busy
6. Employ Creative Corrections
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Any help for dealing with this? Seems to always happen in the car where I can’t separate them: my 2 year old loves to scream just to hear her voice. The loud sound upsets my 4 year old. My 4 year old starts crying, asking her sister to stop, which, for some reason, makes my 2 year old scream more. How can I get my 2 year old to stop screaming or my 4 year old to calm down and not let her sister know it bothers her?
Good morning Jurrien, You could try allowing your 4yr. old to wear headphones and listen to some music for car rides. You might also practice with the 2yr old some "voice" exercises. Practicing a quiet voice, a whisper, a loud voice and an "inside" voice. Do these exercises daily and help your 2 yr old learn the difference. Then have her get all her yelling out before the car and remind her that she can use the other voice volumes when in the car. Be sure to reward her when she is able to be in the car and not yell. Hope that helps. :)
Hey Ruth..This would require a lot of patience but sounds like it will help. Thanks for the tip:)
Here are my thoughts on sibling disagreement... even if we insist we are being objective, the second we get involved, we have "declared" ourselves in the eyes of the children. I have four boys, ages 12, 13, 14 & 21. When they were much younger, the youngest would tell me how the oldest was picking on him, but he conveniently forgot to mention how he was antagonizing the oldest. One day my oldest said that just by letting him tattle I was perpetuating the crime. (He should've been a lawyer like my husband!) A friend recommended a great book (Siblings Without Rivalry) and the author put out this concept of "to listen is to take sides." So I sat my boys down and we discussed the fighting. I instituted a new house rule. If I have to get involved in a disagreement, all parties involved will do my chores for an hour, but I still won't mediate the argument. It's simply to provide respite for my "brain drain." (Parenting with Love and Logic language) The simple goal was to have them resolve their own issues. The result has been astounding: in the last five years, I've had to get involved twice and both of those were within the first two months. My four boys have developed skills in compromise, discussion, learning to time out themselves if they are really upset... I can truly say they are very good friends.
You are so cool! I do not think I've truly read through a single thing
like this before. So great to find somebody with a few genuine thoughts on this topic.
Seriously.. thank you for starting this up. This web site is one thing that's needed on the
web, someone with a little originality!
When our daughters were 3 and 5, we started "even/odd days". On even days of the month, the older (born on the 16th) got first dibs on anything that might start a squabble...favorite toy, biggest half of the apple, choosing a TV show, etc. On odd days, the younger (coincidentally born on an odd day) got her turn. The same technique was used if I needed someone to do a task. They learned how to use the calendar and solve their own arguments by taking turns with this technique. It took us parents out of the referee business and almost completely eliminated sibling battles.
These are great ideas for the average kids. I just wished they worked for my special needs child as well. Everything looks so good in print but not that great in practice for her. Sigh! Great ideas for my others though.
Great tips! We have to little girls who don't let pass the day without fighting. Everybody says it's normal for them.I learned giving them one-on-one time even in a very short period of time really helps. I noticed how our oldest daughter wants attention by acting up when the youngest one,who is so clingy comes to me. Then the jealousy and fight start. I make sure both get the same attention they deserve to minimize fighting.
Great tips! I do most of these and I think it's extremely important to spend one on one time with each kid.
The problem I have though is if I tell one of my daughters (they're 4 and 5) "good job" The other one starts whining "what about me, I didn't do a good job" It's a non stop battle lol. I think there will always be some form of sibling rivalry.
Great ideas! Even with my 3.5 and 21 month old, the fighting has already begun!
My kids are grown now but these are all great tips. I think it is important for kids to know that fighting will not be tolerated. Mine learned to work it out when they were young and now they are the best of friends.