If you’re reading this article, I’m assuming you have at least one sibling. I, like you, have some as well, two sisters to be exact, one younger and one older. Since we’re all stuck in the house together, it has created the perfect environment for daily fights and yelling, so I’ve come up with a list of how to deal with these grievances.

  1. Don’t yell: Chances are if your sibling is mad at you, you’re probably mad at them and all you want to do is scream at them and tell them what they’re wrong. In my experience, I’ve found that yelling at my sisters escalates the fight, which makes everything so much worse. If I raise my voice a little bit, my sister raises her fists, which brings me to my next point.
  1. Don’t hit: Again this will only escalate the fight and make things so much worse. And if you punch your sibling it’s really just letting them win because you get the blame. 
  1. Try to find an activity to enjoy together: For me and my sisters, this is watching Gilmore Girls or watching tik toks at the end of the day. This creates a time in the day where I don’t genuinely hate my sisters. 
  1. Find your alone time: I know I just said to find time to spend together, but you also need some time alone. We’re all cooped up in our houses and when you have siblings there are a lot more people in what seems like a lot less space. Having some time where you can be away from your siblings will help to make the time that you do have to spend with them more enjoyable.
  1. Help them with their work: This is more applicable to younger siblings, but if they ask for help on their math homework, give them help on their math homework. Don’t just give them the answer but actually help them work through the problem (which will decrease the amount of time you’ll need to help them because they’ll get the problem faster). This (in my experience) will make your younger siblings less likely to get mad at you throughout the day because you did something beneficial for them.

I hope these tips help you resolve some sibling rivalries faster in your home!