Constant fighting

[Mammyloveswine]

I am exhausted... my children are 2 and 4, 4 year old being assessed for possible asd.

When they are on their own each is an absolute delight, together all they do is fight-it is constant! They even try and take food off each other's plates (despite having exactly the same!).

I try and play all together, modelling playing nicely and sharing, I spend one on one time with them, they have separate interests yet still fight over what the other one has!

At groups or with friends they are generally fine but this constant bickering and fighting makes me dread the day to come!

Please tell me they'll end up being pals! Everyone else with a 2 year age gap says how great it is and they are best friends but my two seem to actively hate each other!

Anyone?

If they fight over a toy do you take it away from both of them?
And maybe sit them further away from each other at the table at meals so they can't steal from each others plate. If one of them steals a treat food (say they each have a bowl of biscuits) theirs is taken away and they miss out.

Needs tough love I think!

Or maybe actually take the biscuits away from both of them - means it doesn't matter if you weren't watching the second one was stolen so you don't need to know who stole what, and the offender can't go stealing again. Plus they might decide you're terribly unfair and band together against you which is what you want, sort of!