Let's try something new

We are running an experiment in our house this week. Brooke and Will fight constantly. Not physically, thank goodness, but none the less they fight all the time. Now, I know that some of this is to be expected they are 2 years apart, a boy and a girl..9 and 11, but whatever excuse you want to throw at it, the fighting is driving me batty. I don't mean the normal batty...I mean I can not take it any more. It kills me the way that they talk to and about each other. And we have tried plenty of things to get them to stop or change. And the talking and family meetings and late night crying sessions are just not working. And their fighting and sniping at each other is keeping our family time from being as fun as it should be. And let's not forget the fact that we have a 2 year old watching and learning from them, about how to treat each other...and yes it is rubbing off on her. So, out with the old, and in with the new.

They are not allowed to do anything electronic and (here's the kicker) ....they are not allowed to play with anyone besides each other this week. Now I know what you are thinking "if they can't stand each other, do you really think that making them spend that much time together is going to make it better?" And the answer is "Yes...yes I do." They need to learn to do fun things together. They need to really get to know each other (right now they know friends better than they know each other). They need to not be able to veg out and disconnect from each other.

I truly believe that you can learn to love the people you are with everyday. You may not have ever chosen to spend time with them, but once you get to know them , you are glad you did. This is what needs to happen with my kids. We are family...we need to work together and get along. And nothing I have been telling them is sinking in..so now they need to figure it out on their own. So I am going to give them the uninterrupted time together to figure it out.

I am very interested to see how this little experiment works. I will keep you posted.