Sibling squabbles | Imamother

amother

Lime

Wed, May 17 2017, 8:00 am

6 and 4 year old boys. They usually play nicely but they do into fights here and there. Nothing crazy, all normal sibling stuff. But when they do fight, they always drag me into it. I really don't like to get involved unless it gets physical. I try ignoring it or telling them to work it out themselves or telling the victim to ignore the perpetrator. But they both get so sensitive and come running crying to me the minute they get insulted. And they are both equal in terms of how often one is going after the other. How can I make them figure it out themselves?

Chayalle

Wed, May 17 2017, 10:12 am

I used to tell my girls (they're 3 years apart) that I'm a mother; not a policeman. Their squabbles are beyond my paygrade, not part of my job description, etc....

Unless there is risk of serious bodily harm, try very hard to stay neutral. Tell them they will need to work this out themselves. Tell them you weren't there, you didn't see, and you can't take sides just by hearing their account of it. So sorry, but you can't, but you feel for each one of them.

Rinse and repeat as needed....