The Accidental Pastor's Wife

OH AMEN!!! Only children (such as myself) are DEFINITELY at a disadvantage when it comes to raising siblings. My two sons confuse the heck out of me. And I'm sure my daughter will join in the fun once she is old enough.

It just doesn't make sense. If I had treated my friends the way my sons treat each other they would NOT have been my friends!

Who knows. My husband and his 2 brothers used to always get into it. The middle one would never get into trouble, he'd just get the other two in trouble. The youngest and middle would gang up on the older brother. The older brother would boss the others around and they would rebel. Eventually they'd all wrestle.

At 39-41-43 years old they are the best of friends.

Does that mean you are an only child??? Me TOO! It does sometimes puzzle me, the sibling relationship. Our kids were 5 years apart, so some of that confusion we avoided. Good luck with it all:)

Have you read Don't make me count to Three by Ginger Plowman?

Pay attention to what you want to see more of. You get more of what you notice. Attention from you is the golden nugget. Ignore as much of the undesirable behavior as possible (if there is no danger or hazard present, of course). Paying attention to what you want to see more of will automatically decrease the negative behavior immediately and noticeably. It works with adults (ex. husbands) too. Practicing it will help it become natural. Be patient with yourself as you are learning. (I learned this at Nurturing Parenting Program - it works!) :)