| Researchers tell us that 36 million acts of sibling rivalry | | | | When your kids fight, and you step in the middle,what |
| occur every year. Some are severe. Most are normal. | | | | will your kids remember? |
| When your kids fight, they want you in the middle. | | | | Your yelling? |
| They want you to be the judge and jury. They each | | | | Your swearing? |
| want you to take their side. I remember my own | | | | Your hitting? |
| mother's reaction. | | | | Your lecturing? |
| When I was a kid, my brother, Art, and I fought | | | | Your letting them duke it out? |
| constantly. We kicked, we teased, we shoved, we | | | | Knowing what to do in the heat of the moment isn't |
| called each other names, and we rolled over and over | | | | easy. What is easy, is letting your own anger explode. |
| on the ground punching each other as hard as we | | | | If you do, what are you really teaching your kids? |
| could. My mother said, "I was sure you two would kill | | | | Parenting Tips and Advice: |
| each other." | | | | Talk the situation over with your partner. |
| Many fights started in our backyard. In my excitement | | | | Come up with a logical plan for handling future fights. |
| to win the fights, my yelling grew so loud that the | | | | Tell your kids (when they're not fighting) what will |
| whole neighborhood knew we were slugging it out | | | | happen the next time they fight. |
| again. My, mother, a rather shy person, would throw up | | | | Determine to respond with your reason and not your |
| a back room window and yell, "For God's sake Jeanie, | | | | emotion. |
| shut up!" The whole neighborhood heard her too. Her | | | | Follow through with the plan. |
| shouts embarrassed me and hurt my feelings but they | | | | If you react to your kid's fighting the way my mother |
| didn't stop me. My brother and I fought like that almost | | | | did, you can change. |
| every day. And almost everyday mom would shout | | | | Ask yourself these three questions: |
| the same command. | | | | What will my kids remember about my reactions? |
| Looking back, I can't remember what Art and I fought | | | | What am I really teaching them? |
| about. I can remember my mother's words. How about | | | | What do I want to teach them? |
| you? | | | | Here's to your parenting success! |