Kids arguing, taking things off one another and whingeing is pushing me to my limits

[greentreeinsummer]

And I know it is normal but it really does get you down. No peace or respite whatsoever.

I hear you, that petty bickering and needling each other set my fillings on edge and gave me a stress twitch. It doesn't last forever OP but my word it felt like an eternity at the time.

May I suggest foam earplugs.

Set them apart. The one who starts with the other gets sent to their room.

The other one follows them or they come out 🤦🏼‍♀️ fml.

Then tell them next time they do that they can start sharing a room.

Then you can use the spare room as something nice for yourself.

How old are they?

We've more or less nipped this in the bud recently. I'm sure it'll get worse again in different phases/with different ages, but for now it's MASSIVELY reduced compared to 6 months ago. (Children are 4 and 6).

If I see someone snatch something, I simply take it away and give it back to the person who was originally playing with it (this rarely happens). Both children know to say "Mum, X took Y from me. Can you help me get it back please?" and then I do. If they just come to me whingeing or moaning, but don't actually ask for help then they don't get help. I literally ignore complaining.

They can argue with each other as much as they want, but cannot physically hurt each other. Equally they can wrestle and throw soft things like cushions at each other, but if someone gets hurt (intentionally or accidentally) or ignores the other's request to stop, they both have to stop playing and sit/stand by me while I do whatever task I'm doing, then the perpetrator will have to adequately make it up to the family (for "disrupting the peace") by doing a chore, and to the person they hurt by taking a task from them/agreeing to play a game they like/helping them do something/giving up their choice of movie/etc. It has genuinely worked so well. I often hear them going "noooo, shhhhhh, you're disrupting the peace" hahaha.