Saturday, May 30, 2009

Sibling Rivalry


Now that schools are out, I begin watching my three nieces all day Tuesday while my sister works. They are nice girls and fun to be with... except when sibling rivalry rears its unruly head. It usually involves the oldest girl vs. the two younger girls. She likes to boss them around, and they don't appreciate it. She can be relentless when she starts picking on them. Sometimes it descends to physical violence. Punching, poking, pinching... and a lot of yelling and crying.

People tell me this is normal. It may be normal, but it drives me nuts! I have never had children of my own so I haven't had to deal with this before. They can be reasonable when I sit them down and talk to them... but when tempers flare, all bets are off. It escalates quickly and intervention seems futile.

Any suggestions?

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