Strengthening Sibling Bonds

I wrote most recently about why we choose to homeschool. I listed my various reasons focusing on educational quality and choices which are central to this decision for us. I seem to have forgotten to include another of my very most important reasons for homeschooling… Wow! That's exactly why I wanted to record these ideas and reasons in the first place, LOL because I always seem to leave something out! What is this vital and apparently forgettable reason, a burning question, yes??  ;-)

In a word - FAMILY

More specifically family bond, closeness, togetherness, reliance. Family as the center of life which is the way I believe it should be, at least for our family. As part of this, I want my children to maintain the close sibling bonds that they already, naturally possess. I love how their interactions flow and how they rely upon one another, functioning as their own family unit at times. This makes my heart sing, and I don't use such cheesy talk lightly! ;-D Don't' get me wrong, they disagree, argue and even fight plenty, just as other siblings do and is "normal." I dislike that word, or at the very least the connotations it carries, but sometimes it works. I wish this state to last a lifetime for them, in whatever state it evolves as they themselves evolve through their lives.

My kids are young - 6, 3.5 and 21 months. Most kids are, and indeed my own siblings and I were, close when they are young and tend to grow further apart with age as time spent apart and differing personalities and interests become stronger and more apparent. I don't believe it has to be this way. I think that children would benefit from close sibling relationships throughout life and especially during the tough adolescent years. I'm certainly not saying that homeschooling is the only way to achieve this or that some families even need to try. Nor is this specific value of mine dependent on homeschooling, but I DO believe they are related. This is just one tangible aspect of family closeness.

:-)

This is probably my most favorite picture. EVER. So I felt it warranted inclusion is this little discussion about strengthening sibling bonds. The best part about this was the spontaneity and fun surrounding it. It is accompanied by some other fantastic shots I got of Evan and Zoie just having fun together. 

I love these! So enough of me showing off my favorite photos. I also wanted to share this link to the City Kids Homeschooling blog. It has a great article about this topic of Sibling Bonding. It was a great read for me and I hope it will be for you as well! 

http://cityhomeschooling.blogspot.com/2013/03/how-to-foster-sibling-attachment.html

As always, I would love to hear from YOU! What are your thoughts or questions about this post or topic? How do you encourage strong family and sibling relationships in your home? Thanks for stopping by and hope to see you again soon!