sibling rivalry

Name-Calling – No Big Deal, or Big Deal?
Do you remember the first time somebody called you a bad name, and a well-meaning parent or teacher told you to brush it off, saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me”? Did it work? Actually, our experience is that a playground scuffle wears off pretty quickly. A verbal…
Q & A: Dealing With An Angry Son
A reader asks what to do with a violently angry 11-year-old son who is fighting and hurting his siblings.  The father writes, I'm dying here. My boy continues to be violent to his siblings...one in particular...and tells us he wants out of the family. I feel like a prisoner in my own family, needing to…
How Do You Sort Out Conflicting Stories?
One of our webinar participants asked a simple but significant question: When two children have an argument, how do you determine the truth when the two disagree? What do you do when you get two different stories? "Mama, would you please lower the boom on somebody?" Often when the kids have a disagreement, we only…
When Your Boys Gang Up On Each Other
A mom with several boys asked us, “How do you handle the constant ganging-up on each other?” (more…)
Rivalry and Unity
Getting Along With Siblings
If you have siblings, you probably have rivalry. It's a natural, human thing, and it's plain from Scripture that it's an expression of our fallen human nature. Think about Cain and Abel, Jacob and Esau, Joseph and his brothers ... and that's just in Genesis. It's a problem--and something God wants us to deal with it.…
Six Ways to Beat Bickering
A friend asked recently: Ok ladies, it's time for me to do some major/drastic behavior boot camp in this house. I am committing to staying home for several days, going nowhere and do nothing but set straight some major behavior issues we have here. I need some advice, though...How do I handle/tackle my 4 and…
A New Look at Sibling Relationships
This morning over breakfast we had a very enlightening discussion. We asked the question, "What purpose do you think God had in making you big brother to your little brothers and sisters? What do you think He wants you to accomplish in their lives?" [caption id="attachment_3812" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption=""Keep them safe.""][/caption] (more…)