“Siblings are the people we practice on, the people who teach us about fairness and cooperation and kindness and caring, quite often the hard way” (Pamela Dugdale).
“Mom, Ethan has my new marble shooter, and he won’t give it back!” Six-year-old Aidan whined.
“Aidan, were you playing with it first?” his mom replied.
“No, but I want to play with it!” Aidan demanded.
House rules. “Aidan, in our house we share our toys, and we do not take toys away from each other.” My daughter Tara does not overreact when her boys squabble. She simply reminds them of the rules about sharing their toys.
“But it’s mine! Tell Ethan to play with his own toys!”
“When Ethan is finished playing with it, you can have it back.” Aidan’s mom explained, trying to calm Aidan’s temper. “You have a treasure box for keeping things that are special to you.”
Sibling rivalry. Four-year-old Ethan smiled, as he shot another marble across the floor, under the watchful eye of his frustrated, older brother. And when Ethan’s interest waned, he walked away to another activity, leaving Aidan’s toy on the floor of their family room.
Treasures stored. Aidan jumped up from his puzzle, and he grabbed his toy, carefully examining it for damage. Then, he dragged a step stool up to a nearby bookcase, climbed up the steps, and placed his new marble shooter inside of his treasure box, away from his brother’s reach.
Photos/KarenJordan
How did you help your children handle conflicts?
