Stop Letting Your Children Divide You and Your Spouse

Fighting over your children with your spouse? Stop! The person you married is your main support and will do more for you over the long run than any of your children (unless one makes it into the NBA). So, remember your vows and work with the person you walked down the aisle with to raise your offspring.

1. Make a pact. Get together with your spouse and make a pact on how you want to raise and discipline your children. If necessary, create a list and sign off. This way, when one of you starts to forget what was agreed to, you can pull it out. Understand that as you join forces together, you can exert more control over your household.

2. Disagree in private. The quickest way to stop letting your children divide you and your spouse is to present a united front. Avoid letting them see you disagree. Keep all of your arguments in private. In order to do this, you may have to set times in which you let loose, yell and get your frustrations out. Make sure you plan all of them before your children get home from school or in a place away from your abode.

3. Make joint decisions. Do you have a child or children who like to ask you and your spouse for permission when you're in opposite sides of the house. Then, if either of you asks what the other said, he or she always answers "yes." Put an end to this practice. Sit your children down and let them know that you both need to be together to give permission and when asked separately, go get your mate for back up.

4. Don't play favorites. Playing favorites? This kind of mentality will let your children divide you and your spouse. Not only will you be out-of-sync in regards to discipline, but also you will cause resentment in your family unit. Whoever you married should be the only one in your house that you kowtow to. All of the other residents should know their place.

5. Always prefer each other. The best way to stop your children from dividing you and your spouse is to just prefer each other. Don't listen to gossip or lies from children meant to cause friction in your marriage or manipulate you into giving in to a child's whim. Show each other affection in front of the children. And, let your little ones (and teens) know that nothing can come between the two of you.

These are five ways to prevent your children from dividing you and your spouse. Make them part of your home and create a more peaceful environment in which your children obey both you and your spouse.

Also see: Boost Your Child's Confidence