Hi guys welcome back to my channel, in today's video I'm going to be giving you seven tips
on how to bond your children together as siblings. And ultimately make them best friends. One
of the things I'm most proud about is the boys relationship. They really look after
each other, and although they have their moments and of course they argue as all siblings do,
they really do love each other. And most of the time they play very well together. So
I've been asked this question a few times, and I put something on Instagram about it
as well. So I thought I would make a video about my top tips, so here we go.
My first tip is to make them care for each other, and I feel like this tip has had the
biggest amount of impact on my children. And I've done this partly through necessity because
I've needed the help, because day to day it is just me with the boys. Matt works, all
my family live in Canada and I've needed them to help me out. But I have also done this
partly to teach them that it is their responsibility to look after each other as well. So all you
have to do, it's very simple just get them to do things for each other. So maybe my eldest
will feed our youngest a yogurt or something like that. I'll get Caleb to fetch Frasier's
shoes. Or Frasier might read Caleb a book, or help him with homework. And even my youngest
now at the age of two, he can understand and fetch things for the boys. So I might say
to him, can you go and get Caleb's blanket? Just little things like that every day, and
studies show that by getting them to care for each other it actually bonds them together.
My second tip is, if they're arguing over something I will take it away. I hate that
when you have 500 toys in your house, but of course they want the same toy. So if they're
arguing over something, I will give them a warning and say, "Boys if you're not going
to share, and you're not going to take turns I will be taking that toy away if you carry
on arguing. And if they do, then I just take it away." I feel like that is the quickest
way to extinguish and argument, and that encourages them to share. Because if they don't take
turns it will be going.
My third tip is to go over the top with praise when one of the children does something right.
And their siblings will hear this and want to do well, as well. A lot of the time when
one of them misbehaves, it is for attention. It's such a quick way to get attention. But
if they're going to get more attention by being good, that will encourage them to do
that and to copy their siblings.
The fourth thing that I do is to always make the children apologize to each other if they've
been mean, or upset the other one. If they snatched a toy, or worse if they hit each
other or kicked each other they have to apologize. And saying that sounds quite easy but sometimes
this takes forever, especially one of my children is very stubborn and I have to stand there
for a very long time saying, you have to apologize. You have to apologize, you have to apologize.
I just feel like you need to just drum in to my kids anyway, that they're sorry for
what they've done and even hug it out.
The fifth thing that I do is, if all the boys are playing together and one of them misbehaves,
that is the only one that gets a time out. I don't make them all suffer for it because
that could build up resentment.
The sixth thing that I do is, I do let the kids play rough and tumble or wrestle. As
long as they're not hurting each other I don't mind. I actually read a book, which I've mentioned
on this channel before called Raising Boys. I'll link it down below, but in that it said
that play fighting and wrestling actually bonds the boys together. And if you look at
it, it does actually look like a cuddle on the floor. So as long as no one's getting
really hurt it's completely fine with me. They also get it out of their system. I don't
know if it's the same with girls, but I'm pretty sure that I play fighted with my sister.
And the final tip that I wanted to share with you is, to try and have one to one time with
each child. This can be very hard, but even if it's taking one of them on a cinema date.
Or even just getting one to help you with the washing up one night, they can be your
special helper. It just gives them that little time together. And I know this is about bonding
the siblings together, but I think if they get that one to one time with you and they
feel special as well it just helps them with their relationships and not resenting their
siblings as well. So yes that is it, that is all my tips. I hope you enjoyed this video,
thank you so much for watching and don't forget to subscribe if you're new, and I'll see you
in my next one. Bye guys.