There has been so much screaming, bickering and hair pulling between these two the last couple of days, way too much for my ears to take. It has been very difficult for me, of course, but I can just imagine how much worse it is for them, having to try to understand each other when it’s already so difficult to properly express themselves, much less control their emotions. I do my best to keep them at peace with each other, which sometimes means having to keep them apart. But they always find themselves wanting to play together, so they do until the next squabble starts. I know these little issues will just get bigger as they grow. They will keep on having fights and will often get on each others nerves, but I do hope to be able to teach them forgiveness and the art of reconciliation with a kiss and hug, until they finally realize that they’re really and truly each other’s best ally.
In this photo: Emma is upset because Summer kept hugging her too tight. Summer is complaining because Emma won’t be hugged. So we just settled with a half hug which obviously, Emma still wasn’t very happy about. Five seconds after this, Emma gave in and they started hugging and giggling like crazy little weirdos 😝
That was from my Instagram post yesterday evening. Soon after sharing those Friday Momma musings, the girls woke up from their nap and not long after that, they started the petty fights again…I found that first, it’s mine! No, I’ve been playing with it!…PACK….Moooooommmm!!! Summer hiiit meeeeee! And you know the drill. I tell one off and make her say sorry, then I ask them to hug even if it’s obvious they’re just not up to it. Then a minute passes and they completely forget how they hate each other or what they were fighting about.
During dinner Summer asked me what the word “forgive” means and so I explain it to her in the simplest way possible. Forgiveness means when somebody, like Emma, does something bad to you and says sorry, you tell them it’s okay and stay being friends. So they started rehearsing it, giggling and taking turns saying “I’m sorry” “I forgive you” “I’m sorry” “I forgive you” for the rest of dinner time. To them it was like a fun little game. How I wish it were that easy! Wait five to seven more years, kid, and those words won’t come out so easily anymore! But I guess this is a good start. Knowing what it means and making sure they say those words when in order is a good first step.
How about you? How do you deal with your kids’ incessant squabbling and how do you teach them to make amends? Care to share?
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