Parenting Positive Sibling Relationships Series

“That’s Not Fair!”

 “She Has More!”

 “He Called me Stupid”

 “She Hit Me!”

Are you noticing more bickering, fighting and classic sibling rivalry between your children?

Learn why you don’t have to resign to this type of thinking: “Well, they’re siblings and they’ll just fight like cats and dogs. Hopefully they’ll get along when they’re older...”

While there will always be some level of sibling quarrels, there are steps you can take to create a positive family culture, reduce the constant comparisons and teach your children the invaluable tool of learning to solve their own conflicts!

This 6 week series will draw on  Elaine Mazlish and Adele Faber’s classic work Siblings Without Rivalry, along with Marshall Rosenburg’s Non Violent Communication, as well as my own years of experience as an educator and mother of three.

Week 1: Creating a Positive Family Culture:

    •    Family Values, Rules, and Expectations for Behavior

    •    As the parent(s) in the home, what do you have influence over? Avoiding the trap of accepting that siblings will tease, name call, and “fight like cats and dogs”


Week 2: It’s All About Connection

    •    Learn how special time with each child can drastically reduce sibling squabbles. Find strategies and tools to make this happen!

    •    Learn how many sibling fights are actually about siblings seeking connection and attention from one another. Learn about “love languages for kids” and strategies to teach kids how to get the connection they need from one another in positive instead of negative ways


Week 3: Teaching children and families to use Marshall Rosenburg’s Non-Violent Communication

    •    Learn alternatives to yelling, threatening or punishing when triggered as a parent

    •    Avoid victim/bully mentalities by allowing all children in your family to feel heard and acknowledged

    •    Teach children to express feelings with words, with wishes, or with symbolic activity! "You are so angry! You wish he would ask before using your things. Would you like to make a note that says private property?”


Week 4: How to Handle the Fighting!

    •    Learn the Four Levels of Intervention  that  teach children to be in charge of conflict resolution with one another.

    •    Avoid becoming the judge, jury and executioner in your children’s conflicts

    •    Avoid victim/bully labeling

Week 5: Equal is Less/Siblings in Roles

    •    Siblings can easily get caught up in the “tit for tat, that’s not fair, she     has more, you love him more than me” thinking. Learn powerful tools     and ways of interacting with your children to mitigate this type of     thinking and behavior.

    •    Avoid the trap of locking siblings into the boxes of the “creative”, “musical”, “athletic” or “academic” one. While acknowledging your children’s individual strengths is important, it is damaging for both the child without and with that particular strength to feel locked into roles and expectations.


Week 6: Role plays based on participant examples,  wrapping up,  review and answering final unanswered questions.

Dates coming soon!

This series will be taught by ECM’s director, Rebecca Walsh.

We also suggest the intro to this series, Helping Children with Sibling/Playmate/Cousin Rivalry, available via recording, prior to taking the series.

Email kellam@earlychildhoodmatters.org for registration info.