Last week, I posted a little rant about Barbie and her vlog on “Sorry”. Barbie is afraid that saying “sorry” when we haven’t done anything wrong damages our self-confidence. I begged to differ. Maybe you agreed with me. Or maybe you thought I was dismissing something that really does need some consideration. Today, I’m going to […]
Siblings
Do We Say “I’m Sorry” Too Much?
Have you heard the latest controversy over the phrase “I’m sorry”? Some folks are worried that saying “I’m sorry” when we haven’t done anything wrong means that we are taking blame for things we didn’t do and handling relationships in unhealthy ways. Is that really true? Should we teach our children to stop saying “I’m […]
You Yell at Your Kids Because It Works
Do you ever have one of those days? You know the days I’m talking about. The days when you lose your temper and yell at the kids? Maybe you’re tired. Maybe you’re frustrated or overwhelmed. But no matter what the case, you always feel rotten afterwards. No more yelling, you determine. And you promise yourself not […]
Do You REALLY Want the Children to Stop Fighting?
We’ve all been there. You’re tired. The kids are bickering. Again. If only they would just stop fighting. If only they could just quit all the arguing. If you had a magic word, you’d say it, right?(Hey, magic words might be better than the other kids of words you’re tempted to say when the children […]
A Mediator Worthy of Trust
I like the metaphor of the Mama Marriage Counselor, because so much of what we do as mothers of siblings is like marriage counseling, rather than playing judge. Your role as mediator is an important one and how you approach it can have a huge impact on your children’s ability to understand their own hearts […]
3 Kinds of “I’m Sorry”
I’m sure you’ve watched the scenario unfold in your home (as I have in mine). The brother takes the sister’s toy or says something rude. And you, the wise overseer of sibling relationships, say, “You need to say you’re sorry!” Out comes a hideous, grumbling “I’m sorry” muttered under the breath or flung out like […]
Win Your Brother
Remember that day I wrote about? That day when the kids were arguing and I wanted to just smack them around with a few Bible verses? Yea, that day. Matthew 18 was a mama-lesson then. But since then, it’s also been a great place to bring the kids for some heart-instruction in handling conflicts. It’s not […]
The “Love Passage” for Siblings
We often talk about love and wanting our children to love each other. But what does “love” actually look like? Are we talking about some warm fuzzy feelings? Or is love an intentional choice, an attitude, a purposeful reaction? Let’s examine a familiar passage about love and lay it out as it might look applied to […]
Outdo One Another in Showing Honor
We often hear about “sibling rivalry” or “sibling squabbles” and want to know how to manage those episodes. And, let’s face it, those moments arise and those issues have to be addressed. But the heat of the moment isn’t the best time to start talking about how we should relate to each other. That would […]
Rejoicing and Weeping
While we are called to live peaceably with all as far as it concerns us, there are degrees of relationship. The closer the relationship, the more energy we are called to invest in it to keep it healthy and safe. Each of us has a different capacity for relationship; we are not called to be […]