There’s nothing like the holidays to remind you how constantly sorting out your children’s disputes, can really put a dampener on your good spirits. Rather than jumping in to resolve the situation… why not try some mediation? The next time a big disagreement arises, why not call a family meeting and guide your children to agreeing to a resolution? Here are some tips to try when you call your meeting:
- Set the ground rules – be clear about what can and can’t be said or done in the discussion.
- Outline the issue(s) at hand – this is your turn to be clear about what the problem is and any influencing factors.
- Each sibling then needs to outline why the other sibling is upset. This needs to be done while following the ground rules set in point 1.
- Depending on the age of the children, each sibling needs to suggest a resolution that each member can potentially agree to. Alternatively, each sibling can propose a list of three, which is then ranked by the other sibling(s)
- Only a resolution that can be agreed upon by everyone should be selected.
- Keep an eye on the situation to make sure the resolution is followed by everyone (otherwise you might need to start again at point 1!)
