Ask Margaret: Help! My Boys Won't Stop Roughhousing

Published: April 3, 2023, 9:30 a.m.

b'How do you keep your very active kids safe when they constantly want to roughhouse with each other? Someone in our Facebook group asks:\\nBoy moms\\u2026 help! The fighting, the yelling, the running, hitting, jumping, climbing\\u2026I have a 4.5yo and a 3 yo\\u2026 Any advice or tips? We separate them to different levels when it gets out of hand. Or we say any running needs to happen outside, but it\\u2019s difficult to execute when I\\u2019m home alone (which is often). How do you all handle it?\\nMargaret, who has two boys of her own who love roughhousing, explains the house rules around the "sport" that work for her family.\\nThere are actually a lot of benefits to letting kids roughhouse with each other once there are certain safety parameters in place. It gives kids the joy of physical touch, the opportunity to explore and set boundaries, and the benefit (for you!) of tiring them out! You may find that MORE, not less, roughhousing is just the ticket for your active kids!\\nHere are links to the resources Margaret references:\\n\\nJessica Wozinsky Fleming for The Washington Post: "Why roughhousing is good for kids, and how to keep it safe"\\n\\n\\n\\nBig Body Play by Frances M. Carlson\\n\\n\\nThe Art of Roughhousing: Good Old-Fashioned Horseplay and Why Every Kid Needs It by\\xa0Anthony T. DeBenedet\\xa0and Lawrence J. Cohen\\n\\n\\nIgnore It!: How Selectively Looking the Other Way Can Decrease Behavioral Problems and Increase Parenting Satisfaction by Catherine Pearlman\\n\\n\\nSpecial thanks to our sponsor, Pampers: \\nFor trusted protection, choose Pampers, the #1 Pediatrician Recommended Brand. Download the Pampers Club App today to start earning free diapers.\\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices'