Siblings Rivalry

[Leablahblah]

Siblings without Rivalry
I just finished reading this book by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlisch and it has some really great pointers. I thought it would be a shame not to share if it's gonna help some of you as well.
My 3 year old is constantly taking things out of my 1 year old's hands and the tears are driving me insane. I'm hoping to make things go away. I've noticed a slight difference already.

Also some other great books for raising kids:
Janet Lansbury - Elevating Child Care: A Guide To Respectful Parenting
Janet Lansbury - No Bad Kids: Toddler Discipline Without Shame
Magda Gerber (originator of RIE movement) - Your Self-Confident Baby

Who knows, maybe it will inspire people

[joelsgirl]

Thanks for the recommendation! My kids have been fighting soooo much lately & it's dropping my happiness meter down some serious notches. I will check out those books.

I've read two books I really like on parenting recently. The first one, Discipline That Connects with Your Child's Heart, is from a Christian perspective and is about determining the root of disobedience instead of just changing behavior. I love that they prioritize the relationship with the child instead of focusing on the parent as the authority who must be obeyed.

The second one I really liked is No Drama Discipline; it's pretty much the opposite of how I parent (i.e. don't get emotional, walk away and don't let the situation escalate), but since what I'm doing now isn't working, I figure it's worth a try.

[Leablahblah]

Thanks for the recommendation! Always looking for more stories. What gets me is the stories that parents tell after they’ve had success doing something.
The books I mentioned are more about trying to understand your kids feelings and their point of view and trying to remember how hard life is as a child. I remember being treated unfairly sometimes and it helps you get in your kids shoes. I hope it can help you. And it’s a really fast read too. I was able to get it as an ebook from my library.

[ErinShannon]

My kids are 14 (just turned in Feb) and 10 (will be 11 in Nov) - older is a boy - younger is a girl. They are constantly at each others throats. I do mean constantly. I mistakenly assumed when I was pregnant with #2 and found out it was a girl that the almost 4 year age difference and the fact they were opposite sexes meant that they'd get along. Nope. Wrong. Wrong. Wrongity Wrong. LOL

They used to fight but also would defend each other to the bitter end...now they fight and they'd push the other one off the end. Ugh. It's exhausting. And my 10 yr old is in the throes of puberty and all the girly changes and is soooooooooooooooo uber sensitive and sometimes I feel like I am walking on tiptoes around her and then her brother says something insensitive or heaven forbid doesn't hold the door open for her and the floodgates open and the rage is let loose. Sigh.

Someone please tell me it gets better with age. LOL

[joelsgirl]

Sometimes I feel like parenting is a pendulum that swings back and forth between, "They are the best thing that ever happened to me!" and "Remind me why we had kids..."

I have one child, who I love, who is my joy and my delight when he is well fed & rested, but heaven help us if he is hungry or tired. And the oldest is 13, and his greatest joy in life is to get a rise out of his siblings (or his mom). My youngest is five, and goodness I adore her, but if you ask her to do something she doesn't want to do, she's rolling on the floor crying and I just can't take it anymore. I think I need a break, but when we get back to the States in two months, we're spending 3 weeks in a car on a great camping trip out west. That's not exactly the break I think I need.