I have five awesome kids.
I also have five kids with healthy sin natures. (Just like their mama!) This means we have to be conscientious about how we parent, intentional about character training, and always looking for teachable moments and soft hearts.
As the kids get older, this gets more complicated. The teenager loves to pester the younger sibs, the tween gets a sick glee out oftattling alerting us to big brother's need to get caught doing whatever it is she deems unsatisfactory, and the three younger ones can go from hugs to hitting in 1.7 seconds. It can get ugly around here and quick!
One of the blessings of homeschooling is that we are all together all day long. Now some may think that is the cause of the problem, but I assure it was much worse when they were in school we were running five different directions all the time. My kids love each other, but they have conflicts so we have to help them navigate those murky waters in a way that fosters closeness and affection for one another.
So lately, when two siblings seem to be at each other's throats, we have found a fabulous way to redirect their behavior:
They can only play/talk/hang out with the sibling they are fighting with.
That means if DJ and Katie have been snippy all morning, the rest of the day finds them sitting next to each other at meals, helping each other with tasks, and not allowed to do those things with anyone else!
It works every single time...like a charm. When there is no getting away from the offensive sib, they are forced to make the best of it! Once they get over the horror of having to be TOGETHER all day, they end up laughing, chatting, and generally getting along as if they actually like each other!
Ahh, parenting. Never a dull moment. :)
I also have five kids with healthy sin natures. (Just like their mama!) This means we have to be conscientious about how we parent, intentional about character training, and always looking for teachable moments and soft hearts.
As the kids get older, this gets more complicated. The teenager loves to pester the younger sibs, the tween gets a sick glee out of
One of the blessings of homeschooling is that we are all together all day long. Now some may think that is the cause of the problem, but I assure it was much worse when they were in school we were running five different directions all the time. My kids love each other, but they have conflicts so we have to help them navigate those murky waters in a way that fosters closeness and affection for one another.
So lately, when two siblings seem to be at each other's throats, we have found a fabulous way to redirect their behavior:
They can only play/talk/hang out with the sibling they are fighting with.
That means if DJ and Katie have been snippy all morning, the rest of the day finds them sitting next to each other at meals, helping each other with tasks, and not allowed to do those things with anyone else!
It works every single time...like a charm. When there is no getting away from the offensive sib, they are forced to make the best of it! Once they get over the horror of having to be TOGETHER all day, they end up laughing, chatting, and generally getting along as if they actually like each other!
Ahh, parenting. Never a dull moment. :)
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