Sibling Rivalry
Sibling rivalry. If you have more than one child, you know what I’m talking about. As if being a mom and running a home and family isn’t enough, when kids scrap and squabble, it’s enough to make a mom want to resign.
I raised my kids in the dark ages–long before Facebook, Pinterest, and Google. No quick answers with the click of a mouse, I had to figure things out for myself. One day as I was flipping through my beloved Moms magazine, I came across a tip for sibling rivalry. It sounded like something I wanted to implement, so I tried it and it worked! I mean like for 18 years it worked! No, it didn’t resolve every issue, of course, but it made a difference.
So here’s how it worked: I assigned two days per week to each of my three children. My oldest son had Monday and Thursday. My second son had Tuesday and Friday, and my daughter had Wednesday and Saturday. On their assigned days, that sibling was the privileged child. He or she got to make those everyday decisions like what game to play, show to watch, snack to share, and which chair to sit in. If we had to take turns at something, that child got to go first. Besides being the privileged child, it was also their day to have responsibilities like set the table, help with dishes, choose the mealtime devotion, and be the first one in the shower.
As my kids got older, this method went into auto-pilot and regulated itself. I remember one time when my kids came home from school and went into the family room to watch TV. My older son handed the remote to his brother and said, “Here–it’s your day.” Seriously! That really happened!
Not only did this system help with some (not all) of the disputes, but it taught my kids to accept that they will not always be first and they will not always be in charge. Psalm 133:1 says, “How good and pleasant it is when brothers (and sisters) live together in unity.” Ephesians 5:21 talks about “submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.”
If this idea sounds good to you, it never hurts to try it. If you do, I’d love to know how it goes. And by the way—MY day was Sunday!
Crystal