Good Things Come From Sibling Fights

I've got one sister and we're friends now, but we sure fought growing up.  I remember my mom saying one time as she was almost in tears, "You girls are going to give me a nervous breakdown!" That shut us right up.  Until the next day when my sister hid my favorite Barbie doll in the freezer and then it was on.

It turns out, sibling tension can be a good thing. Do tell!

I've got three girls now, all age 6 and under, and I know if I leave them in a room alone for more than about one minute and fifteen seconds, I will probably be hearing, "Mama! Sissy hit me!"  Or words to that effect.  The middle child (she's 4) is the most passive of the three kids, but that little 2-year old (she'll be 3 in about 10 days) is a feisty thing and will get in there and fight for whatever she thinks is right.  And sometimes it's wrong, which causes more issues with the older two.

There's a new study out that says our fights with sisters and brothers actually make us better people.  The study at BYU says even though siblings fight from time to time, they walk away from conflicts sensitive to the other person’s feelings.  And that makes those of us who grow up with siblings, more generous and compassionate adults.

So I guess that means we should clap and cheer when the kids pull each other's hair and elbow each other when one of them blocks the view of the TV?  Cool!  That's much easier than throwing penalty flags and sending them 15 yards away for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Apparently we just have to put up with it now, and the gentle and compassionate souls will emerge down the road.  More evidence that a few lemons can lead to lemonade.  Just so nobody loses an eye with a wayward spoon along the way.