Q:
When children fight, should parents mix in?
A:
Absolutely! Children should be taught never to fight. I understand that children always are fighting and still you should always mix in, constantly and constantly and constantly. Hinei mah tov umah naim sheves achim gam yachad; children have to learn to get along. Your house is the home where you train them for life. If you train them to get along in the house, they’ll be able to get along later with their wives and with their mechutanim and with their business partners and with their employers and with everybody else. You have to train them in the house; you have to talk about shalom all the time.
Now, it’s not necessary always to hit them but you must talk and talk and talk because a child is a human being and sof kol sof something goes into his little head. So talk to children always about shalom and achdus with their brothers. Say, “Love your brother.” To him it’s a joke – love your brother? He loves his brother – smack! He smacks his little brother. No; teach him to love his brothers. After a while he’ll begin to listen; it will penetrate. It goes in. Now, there’s a lot more to talk about on this subject but I’m sorry that our time is up for now and I have to stop.
TAPE # E-120
