• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Meatloaf and Melodrama logo
  • Home
  • About
  • Collaborate
  • Recipes
  • Subscribe
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Bloglovin
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Home
  • About
    • Collaborate
  • Recipes
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Home
    • About
      • Collaborate
    • Recipes
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×

    projects

    How to Help Your Kids Get Along

    This post may contain affiliate links. Please see disclosure for more information. Published: Jul 11, 2014 · Modified: Mar 25, 2021 by Dee

    How I Got My Kids to Coexist Peacefully For a Week--or More!

     Hi All!

    A couple of weeks ago, I posted about my my plan for a summer of Peace, Love and Sibling Harmony with my kids. Because we were all home, they were all getting on each other's nerves, and tempers were very, very short. This meant that I was playing the role of peacemaker way more often than I wanted. Basically, my plan involved making the kids walk in each other's shoes for a week and spend time just getting to know each other as individuals. Hopefully, this would help the kids to get along better.

    Hands on top of each other



    So, what happened?

    First of all, I decided to treat this like an actual exercise in diplomacy because I really wanted them to take this seriously. We developed an action plan, put the plan in writing and stuck to the schedule as much as we could. I think this made it all seem more realistic and made the kids put more effort into the entire diplomatic exercise. 

    So, what did we do?

    We kicked off the week with a short backyard ceremony in the evening. We went over the rules, lit a candle, and the kids held hands and sang Kumbaya--seriously!  Then, they had to turn in all electronic devices and spend time talking with each other before bedtime. The four oldest share rooms, so we mixed up the room assignments so that they had new roommates. 

    lighting a candle


    Each day, one of the kids had to teach their siblings one of their favorite hobbies or interests. It was fun to watch them learning German, speaking Mandarin, trying on makeup, playing Minecraft, playing with Legos and learning the five basic dance positions. 

    They also had to switch chores so that each person had to try different jobs throughout the week.

    On the last night, the kids spent the evening together, just hanging out and having fun. No electronics were allowed!

    On the final day, we all enjoyed a special dinner and discussed the events from the previous week during dessert. The kids had to name something they learned about each other, say what they admired most about each other, and they also had to tell what type of behavior really set them off.

    We ended the week with another candle-lighting ceremony, a pledge to consider each other's feelings before lashing out and  a promise to be more respectful of everyone. Oh, and they did another round of Kumbaya, hand in hand.

    So, did it work?

    Surprisingly enough, the kids have made more of an effort to get along, and the experiment did seem to reduce the amount of petty fighting that was occurring daily. I know the kids will still argue and disagree -- that's part of human nature. But, if it starts to get out of hand, I threaten them with another week of sibling harmony, and they stop arguing right away!

    kids wearing tennis shoes, converse, peace, love and harmony


    Would you ever try something like this? If you have, I would love to hear about it. 

    Thanks for reading about our week of Sibling Peace, Love and Harmony -- have a peaceful, harmonious day!


    Dee 🙂

    Pin
    Share
    Tweet
    Pin
    Share
    Tweet

    More projects

    • chocolate-peppermint-sugar-scrub-recipe
      Chocolate Peppermint Sugar Scrub
    • easy-student-dorm-desk-organizer
      Easy Dorm Desk Organizer
    • diy-summer-cork-coasters
      DIY Summer Cork Coasters
    • sharpie-tie-dye-t-shirt-craft
      Easy Sharpie Tie Dye T-Shirt

    You May Also Like

    creamy fruit dip in bowl with strawberry on top
    Easy Fruit Dip
    swirled vanilla and chocolate jello pudding pops on ice in a bowl
    Easy Vanilla Chocolate Pudding Pops
    summer fruit smoothie in a mason jar with strawberries blueberries and kiwi fruit
    Summer Fruit Smoothie

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Review Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    I’m the blogger, chief cook, recipe developer and photographer behind Meatloaf and Melodrama. I absolutely love to create easy, budget-friendly, homemade meals and treats for my family. I also love to think of new ways to repurpose leftovers so that my family will actually eat them!

    More about me →

    Trending Recipes

    • baked breaded pork chops with panko bread crumbs and mashed potatoes on plate
      Baked Breaded Pork Chops
    • ground beef pasta, creamy shells and beef, in creamy tomato sauce in dutch oven
      Creamy Shells and Beef
    • no bake pineapple dream dessert for summer
      No Bake Pineapple Dream Dessert
    • easy strawberry jello fruit salad on plate
      Strawberry Jello Fruit Salad
    • baked kielbasa and sauerkraut in casserole dish with parsely
      Grandma's Kielbasa and Sauerkraut Recipe
    • no bake banana pudding with cool whip and nilla wafer cookies and sliced bananas
      Easy No Bake Banana Pudding
    • slice of red white and blue poke cake with strawberries and blueberries on a plate
      Red White and Blue Poke Cake
    • instant pot BBQ chicken in a pulled chicken sandwich on a plate
      Instant Pot BBQ Chicken

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • All About Dee
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions

    Newsletter

    • Sign up for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact

    As Seen On

    as seen on buzzfeed delish country living forbes southern living

    Copyright © 2023 Meatloaf and Melodrama