Yalda Golsharifi

Being a mom of two little girls definitely comes with its challenges. Most of the time, Lilly and Sasha are the best of friends. They love playing together and are obsessed with each other, however sometimes they do tend to fight, which is so common between young siblings.  I'm sure most moms understand what its like when you have more than one child and the jealousy and rivalry that can come along with that. Competing for parent's attention is one of the main reasons why jealousy begins between siblings and what I notice the most with my girls. It's sometimes hard to know how to stop the fighting, and or even whether you should get involved or let them learn how to resolve things without parents interfering, but there are certain steps you can take to encourage peace in your household and help your kids get along.

The reason why I say not to get involved only when necessary is because your kids will start expecting that anytime they act out you will come to their rescue rather than learning to work it out on their own. Also, it can create resentment between siblings if one child is usually blamed and not the other and the child that is not blamed will feel like they can get away with more because they are always being "saved" by a parent. Don't focus too much on who to blame because keep in mind that any child who is involved in a fight is partly responsible. Another thing that I've noticed that separating my kids when they fight and giving them space to think about what they've done can help calm things down.

One of the most important things you should remember to do to avoid your kids getting into fights is setting ground rules for acceptable behavior. They need to have clearly know what is acceptable and what is not. Once these ground rules are broken is when there is consequences. Another thing is making sure you have one on one time with each child directed to their individual interests and needs. Also, planning things together as a family teaches your kids how to get along with one another and relate to each other and is something that I've found really helps reduce conflicts between my kids in the future. Keep in mind that your kids also need their own individual space too, so its all about finding the right balance and finding what works best for your kids!

Yalda Golsharifi