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How to handle sibling conflicts: Mom Squad with 3News' Maureen Kyle

Siblings argue and fight. It's inevitable. But the way your family handles the situation will teach kids how to approach conflicts their whole life.

CLEVELAND — If you have more than one kid in the household, you've probably had at least a few squabbles. Maybe you feel like you're always playing referee.

Handling sibling rivalry and fights can be tough, but in today's Mom Squad, Dr. Chivonna Childs with the Cleveland Clinic sheds light on how to do it.

“When you walk into a room and they're bickering or fighting or throwing toys, you can just calmly walk in. Because we are their model. We are their first introduction into the world so however we present, is how they present. So, if you and your partner are yelling, screaming, slamming doors in an argument, guess what, they are going to yell scream and slam doors in an argument,” says Childs.

“So, if you go in and they're arguing, you can just go in and cross your arms and cross your arms and be like, ‘Hey guys, what's going on?’”

Childs says you let the kids take turns in explaining what happened. A parent needs to model active listening in this moment. If the kids have vastly different stories, then they both get the same punishment.

Maybe your children are teens or adults, or maybe you and your own siblings still have conflicts. Dr. Childs and Maureen Kyle go in depth about how to address the family drama that's been a long time in the making.

You can catch the entire episode below, on WKYC plus or our WKYC YouTube page.

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