How to stop fight among children?

What happens if you don't stop it?

My question is the same... they're both obviously getting something out of it or they wouldn't be doing it and as long as it doesn't get physical or nasty, why bother to stop it? If the noise drives you nuts, just put in some ear plugs and get a book! Or send them outside or to the basement to carry on.

Thanks a lot for your response and nice suggestion.

Well, I don't know what the big problem is. You don't say how they're fighting, what it consists of, how bad it gets, how often it is. If you want good advice, give some details.

I have 6 sisters and we fought all the time but it was normal stuff, nothing nasty or hurtful, so I don't see anything wrong with not getting along.

What's your issue? The fact that they fight or is it just irritating to listen to?

My two daughters are like that - they love each one minute and the next they are fighting. I can understand how the bickering can drive you crazy. I think like others comment to try and let them work it out. The hard part is the noise (at least for me). If it does get bad, what I do is separate them.

Wish I remember where I saw it - anyway a test was made with children fighting one another. When grown ups mixed into the fight it took longer time than when nobody mixed in but left the children alone.

Often true. And we all get along now that we're grown ups

When my little brother and I used to fight, one of us would invariably end up running to mom to tattle on the other and ask mom to intervene for us and take sides. Her response was to tell us to work it out between ourselves.

It made us mad that we didn't get the attention from her, but also made us resolve the problem or find a way to ignore each other until we calmed down. Eventually we just stopped going to her because we knew what the answer was going to be.

As for resolving the problem ourselves, my brother and I both still bear the scars from our attempts to do so. I used to bean him over the head with dirt clods thrown at a distance and he used to sneak up and burn the **** out of my bare arms after holding a teaspoon over a match to get it hot. When he got too strong for me to physically defend against, I just figured out how to mentally torture him. His bugaboo was mayonaise or garden snails so after he burned me, I'd torture him by chasing him with mayonaise covered snails and smash them in his face. He still hates mayonaise to this day. But we solved the problem between ourselves!

Oh, geez. I read the question wrong. My answer was "vote them out of office."

Wrong question; good answer, though.

Welcome back, GeneralTsao

divide and conquer