One of my favorite books when I was a child was a beautifully illustrated story called No Fighting, No Biting! by Else Homelund Minarik. In this engaging storybook, Cousin Joan tells stories to her two younger cousins who are constantly quarreling. She tells about an alligator mama whose two baby alligators are always arguing and biting each other. One day the two sibling alligators are arguing about how to get around a log while following their mother into the swamp.
Along comes another alligator, a hungry alligator, who sees these two as lunch. Luckily, Mama comes around at the right time and the two alligators are back at their bickering as soon as the danger has passed.
Last week both my children were home from school for a second spring break because the teachers went to a convention. By the end of the week the arguments, snipping, snapping and tattling were really starting to get under my skin. On Sunday, I’d had enough. I told my kids they had to write a note to each other about something they appreciated about the other. My kids were surprisingly enthusiastic about the idea and quickly ran up to their rooms to make their notes. My oldest even went so far as to paint a picture for his younger brother. While a single note didn’t change the tune in our household, I’m hoping a week or two of this method might temper some of the drama with my two little alligators. (But chances are, this is just part of their normal development!)
What do you do to promote peace in your household?
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