Teen Bickering - A trick to stop it!

When I was a teen, I used to bicker with my siblings. We would get into arguments about the silliest things; we were rude and obnoxious when I think back to it. One night shortly before Christmas my parents had us sit by our Christmas tree in the family room downstairs. They had called a family meeting. We were all waiting for them; they said they needed a few more minutes.

All of the sudden, we heard them coming. It was so strange; my parents were talking loud, fighting and pushing each other as they came down the stairs. My Dad was saying, “Did not!” and my Mom was saying, "Yes, you did!” My Dad said, “You’re such a jerk, get out of my way.” They just kept at it as well. There was a small giggle from us, but they didn’t stop. We became silent and upset listening to this bickering. Just before we broke down and cried, they stopped, hugged and kissed each other and said they were pretending to be us.

I will never forget the impact this had on me. I was ashamed as they sat and told us how hurtful it was to watch us fight. We had a long discussion about our behavior.

Just last week a family posted a funny video on Facebook. They were acting like toddlers not teens and doing a role play, as their kids sat on the couch and watched in amazement. You see kids will act out of line, will bicker, will fight. It is part of the process of growing up. It is our job as parents educate them. I don’t think there is a family out there (if they have more than one child at home) that has never had bickering kids. If it is becoming unbearable, try a role play followed by a discussion; it works wonders.

—Allison Ochs Social Worker with MSW, Coach, Expat, Mother of three, wife