My kids are fighting right now. Like, right NOW. And again, NOW. My two girls fight constantly. They pinch, hit, yell, push, scream, take each other's things, and occasionally bite. I hate it. I've tried everything to make them stop. I've tried time-outs, spankings, taking things away, and sometimes doing to them what they've done to each other. Many times I will do just about anything (including turning on the distractor tube called TV), to get some peace and quiet in the house. And many times I have racked my brain asking myself, "What did I do wrong that has caused them to fight like this?! If only I never lost my temper with them, they would be more forgiving of each other. Why don't they love each other?!"
Every once in awhile they will do something so sweet to each other, and I'll find them secretly playing nicely together and loving each other. It's like they have to hide it from me. It doesn't help that I am an only child, and so is my husband. I have no idea what this kind of relationship is supposed to look like. But I think the moral of the story is that this is NORMAL. Siblings will fight. I'm not perfect and neither are my kids. And that's ok.
All I have to do to reassure myself of their love for each other is separate them. As soon as Jamie leaves the house without Jessica, they both start asking for and crying for the other one. They may fight constantly when they are together, but they also can't live without the other one. Their love for each other is so secure that they can fight like cats and dogs and never doubt their love.
1Corinthians 13:4-7
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
When I was about five, my older brother called me names, so I ran to my sisters to complain. They told me to tell him, "Sticks and stones can break my bones, but names will never hurt me." I ran back and told him that, and he picked up a stick and hit me. I love my brother.
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