Adam and I have racked our brains trying to figure out how to get them to stop. Time outs, separating them into different rooms, not allowing them to play together...nothing works. Within about ten to twenty minutes...regardless of anything we've done, it's on...and the fighting begins.
Yesterday, Lauren and Preston were in his room and they began yelling over a toy. "It's MINE!" "NO! I had it FIRST!" (ding, ding!)
Out of complete exhaustion, Adam and I decided to try something that we've never done before. Become Monsters...literally. We snuck up to their door and put our hands up like bear claws then ran in screaming. At first it scared the bejeebies out of them until they knew that we were playing.
Within minutes, they were screaming and laughing while trying to run around the room to get away from us. Then the oddest thing happened...they became - a team. Preston would jump on Adam's back if he got Lauren and Lauren would nail me with a pillow if I tickled Preston.
By the end of the Monster jam, the two little ones were holding hands, running and laughing around the room...while trying to protect each other instead of fighting.
Into that evening, they actually played better than they had in months. When they did start to argue, Adam and I would put our monster claws up and growl, causing them to scream and laugh...forgetting about their argument.
Granted, this method probably shouldn't be used in public without expecting quite a few stares, but at least for one day, in this house...it kept the peace. Grrrrrrrrrrr