What do you do when the fighting and bickering becomes too much?

[fartmeistergeneral]

Brothers, 2 years apart. It's killing me.

[singsong]

How old are they? I have 2 boys 5 and 2 and same scenario of bickering here. Don't have the answer to stop it (hoping someone will) but am trying to ignore 'smaller' events and let them get on and sort it out between themselves.

[Fennel]

I send them outside to play and don't let them back in for a while.

Or I send them to play separately in their rooms. (or you could send one upstairs one down if they share a bedroom)

[FlamingoBingo]

Weeeellllll...what I do is to yell at them and lose my temper. But what I ought to do, and do do if I'm good form, is to accept that it probably means I need to pay them some attention, and I try to get them doing some activity with me or something - read them a story, make something, play something with them. It's usually when I'm ignoring them that they bicker their worst.

[fartmeistergeneral]

They're older, 10 and 8. It's moments of boredom I'm sure, but I can't entertain them every minute of the day, even if they are waiting for a friend to come round, in those 5 mins they will start annoying each other and then it escalates. I handle it very badly and need to get some advice. I, too, shout at them, and I know this doesn't work.

[carocaro]

I have two boys too, aged 2.5 and 7.

The 2.5 is often worse than the 7, he winds him up by hitting him, just to get attention.

I seperate them, oldest in his room, he has a lock on his door, a little cd player and all his Lego, he can then as he puts it 'be totally away from the pest'

The 2.5 one also screams at every little thing, it's ear drumming exlpoding, I have just introduced the time out step and he is slowly getting that his screeching gets him no love.

I have also locked them both outside and ignore them whilst watching Neighbours and eating a biscuit, I could see them and they could see me at all times, they eventually stopped hammering each other and started to squish their faces against the glass and laugh their heads off!

[fartmeistergeneral]

I like the locking outside, have done that myself in the past!