The calico cat and the gingham dog or your kids? In the midst of their argument it can be hard to tell the difference. Jody Pawel shares tips that enable children to solve sibling conflict respectfully.
'Tis the season for sports -- when parents spend more time at playing fields or driving to games than they spend at home. Do you want to raise children who are more confident and cooperative with other? That's usually what happens when families choose their words carefully and encourage best efforts, focus on skill improvement and doing one's best.
My son will be 4 years old in July. Over the last few weeks he has really become difficult to handle.
He fights me on almost all issues from what he is going to eat to what he wants to wear for the day. Usually I give him choices on things so that he doesn't feel powerless but it doesn't seem to matter. He seems to want to argue with everything I say these days.
Hi Dr. Laura,
I am expecting a new baby. We have a 5-year-old who is excited about the pregnancy and we can deal with her. Our two-year-old already gets jealous of her sister when she gets too much attention. What do we do?
Most parents rank kids' fighting with each other as the parenting issue that most bothers them, and that they feel least able to prevent. All kids fight, and all kids need to learn social skills for handling conflict, which is an important part of their EQ, or Emotional Intelligence Quotient.
He "plays" with the baby in the only ways he knows how. He plays catch. You yell at him for throwing toys at the baby. He plays hide-and-seek. You screech that he's trying to suffocate the baby with the blanket. He gives the kid a hug, and you explode in fury. Is it any wonder that your toddler is confused? How can you smooth things out?
Our siblings are usually the people we know longest in this life, but it's striking how many people have distant, even hostile relations with their brothers and sisters. Family tensions related to sibling rivalries wear on parents individually, and sometimes can challenge their marriage so it's important to tackle them in steady, systematic ways.
We have grown very distant since the birth of our daughter five months ago. I have been punishing by putting him in the "peace corner" but I don't like to isolate him either. My husband and I have resolved to figure out a better way to bring love and joy back into our family.
Most parents rank kids' fighting with each other as the parenting issue that most bothers them, and that they feel least able to prevent. All kids fight, and all kids need to learn social skills for handling conflict, which is an important part of their EQ, or Emotional Intelligence Quotient.
Our siblings are usually the people we know longest in this life, but it's striking how many people have distant, even hostile relations with their brothers and sisters. Family tensions related to sibling rivalries wear on parents individually, and sometimes can challenge their marriage so it's important to tackle them in steady, systematic ways.
We have grown very distant since the birth of our daughter five months ago. I have been punishing by putting him in the "peace corner" but I don't like to isolate him either. My husband and I have resolved to figure out a better way to bring love and joy back into our family.
He "plays" with the baby in the only ways he knows how. He plays catch. You yell at him for throwing toys at the baby. He plays hide-and-seek. You screech that he's trying to suffocate the baby with the blanket. He gives the kid a hug, and you explode in fury. Is it any wonder that your toddler is confused? How can you smooth things out?
Hi Dr. Laura,
I am expecting a new baby. We have a 5-year-old who is excited about the pregnancy and we can deal with her. Our two-year-old already gets jealous of her sister when she gets too much attention. What do we do?
My son will be 4 years old in July. Over the last few weeks he has really become difficult to handle.
He fights me on almost all issues from what he is going to eat to what he wants to wear for the day. Usually I give him choices on things so that he doesn't feel powerless but it doesn't seem to matter. He seems to want to argue with everything I say these days.
'Tis the season for sports -- when parents spend more time at playing fields or driving to games than they spend at home. Do you want to raise children who are more confident and cooperative with other? That's usually what happens when families choose their words carefully and encourage best efforts, focus on skill improvement and doing one's best.
The calico cat and the gingham dog or your kids? In the midst of their argument it can be hard to tell the difference. Jody Pawel shares tips that enable children to solve sibling conflict respectfully.