“What do I do about my siblings fighting constantly?” I heard one Mom lamenting at a recent meeting. “Should I let them handle it? Should I intervene? I want to help them learn conflict management skills but I’m not sure how to respond.” Certainly, this is a common issue in family life. The reality is …
All families argue. It’s not whether you fight but how you fight that makes the difference… Don’t miss discussing and signing the pledge at the end of the article! After some happy outdoor play, I heard my son E run straight up to his bedroom and slam the door. As I knocked and entered his …
Category: Building a Positive Family Environment Tags: boundaries for fighting fairly, Conflict Management, Families Fighting Fairly, family arguments, fighting fairly, John Gottman, Name-calling, partner fights, Sibling fighting, spanking, spouse arguments, teaching kids about fighting fairly
…And Teaching Turn-Taking to Young Children “My child gets a new toy, shows it off and then rips it away telling her sibling, ‘No! You can’t play with it!’” “I want my children to feel grateful for her brothers and for their toys and our life together.” “If one has it, the other one wants …
Category: Building a Positive Family Environment Tags: children's social and emotional development, Conflict Management, Conflict resolution, Family collaboration, family teamwork, fostering children's kindness, Perspective taking, positive sibling behaviors, Responsibility, Responsible decision-making, sibling arguments, Sibling fighting, sibling kindness, sibling relationships, Sibling rivalry, siblings
What if, this new year, you introduced a family new year’s resolution – to agree to fight fairly? Fighting is inevitable in families. It does not represent weakness but only reality. Be sure to read through to the end of this article to find the easy-to-print and use “Fighting Fair Family Pledge”! Throughout childhood, kids …
Category: Building a Positive Family Environment Tags: 2018, conflict in marriage, Conflict Management, Conflict resolution, Divorce, families arguing, families fighting, family conflict, fighting fair family pledge, fighting fairly, Happy New Year!, kids and name-calling, kids arguing, Name-calling, New year, New Year's Resolutions, Parents, parents fighting
How Can We Develop Family Guidelines around Conflict for Children? Establishing some guidelines for fighting fair for all family members can ensure that you are ready when inevitable problems arise. This article cites compelling research on what works and what doesn’t work in managing conflicts in relationships. There are some ways we fight unfairly that …
After some happy outdoor play, I heard my son E run straight up to his bedroom and slam the door. As I knocked and entered his room, his face was red and wet with tears. “What happened?” I asked. “Jonathan (E’s cousin) wouldn’t listen to me,” E sputtered between sobs. “I was mad and he …
Category: Building a Positive Family Environment, Modeling Social and Emotional Skills, Practicing Social and Emotional Skills Tags: Calming down, Communication, Conflict Management, Emotional management, Empathy, Families fighting fair, Fighting fair, Healthy relationships, Modeling fighting fair, Name-calling, Perspective taking, Power struggle, Problem solving, Relationships, Sibling conflicts
If you have a problem, don’t muddle through. Here’s a simple rap about what to do. Stop, calm down before you act. You’ll think more clearly – that’s a fact. Say the problem and how you feel. Set a positive goal (and try to be real). Now for some “brainy” contributions, make out a list …
Category: Modeling Social and Emotional Skills, Practicing Social and Emotional Skills Tags: Choices, Collaborative for Academic, Collaborative problem solving, Communication, Conflict Management, Consequences, Consequential thinking, Discipline, Feelings vocabulary, Goal setting, Positive goal, Problem solving, Roger Weissberg, Self control, Social and Emotional Learning, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL), Traffic Light Model, traffic light
Try to see it my way, only time will tell if I am right or I am wrong While you see it your way, there’s a chance that we may fall apart before too long. We can work it out. We can work it out. – We Can Work It Out, The Beatles[i] If you …
