Bratty Brother !When I was a little girl several years back, I had envied other kids my age who

had siblings that they could play dolls or action figures with. I would spend my time thinking of possible ways to get a brother or sister, and often end up sleeping with the thoughts whirling around in my head. Eventually, I managed to think up a “solution”, which I thought was genius at that time (though now I see it as pure craziness). I told my parents to get married again so that they’d have another baby! I actually thought then that a couple could only have babies when they married; so if my parents wanted three kids, they’d have to get married three times! Of course, they laughed at the suggestion and I just had to accept my being a single child.

A few years later, my family was blessed with a baby boy. You guys can imagine my excitement when we took him home for the first time; I couldn’t be separated from him! But I didn’t know taking care of a brother would be so hard. I also didn’t know he’d be a brat when he reached five years old.

What a brother! I really couldn’t believe I’d become so irritated with him! Every time I did my homework, he’d mess up my table or rip important school files. When I ate, he’d ask “Ate (sister), can you do this?” in a bullying tone and grin at me. If I wanted to watch a movie on HBO, he’d switch it to another channel and hide the remote somewhere. Whatever I did, there was always something he’d do to aggravate me. I just had to do something!

Through time and observation, I got to solve my sibling woes. Here, I’ve picked out the four most effective ways to discipline bratty brothers. Some were tough and some easy, but all are unquestionably successful!

1) Bribe them with something they really crave to have. For most adults, children under the age of 11 tend to appreciate

material things more than those who are 12 above. They have these built-in cravings for those “nice blue candies” and “cool toy cars” so naturally, younger ones would do anything to get what they want.

This does prove to be helpful on some occasions (like when you’ve tried almost everything to calm him down) and most often than not, they kind of start to see you more as a sibling than just someone to annoy.

There are also cases wherein instead of avoiding frequent disturbances from the “little horrors”, you find yourself on even more problematic situations. Your siblings may “blackmail” you into getting new stuff everyday, and sooner or later, you’ll find his room high on toys and sweets; your credit card low on balance. We can give them treats once in a while, but anything too much has been proven to be bad. In any case, this option is a quick escape out of the hubbub!

2) Teach them something worthwhile. There are lots of ways to introduce something educational without

them getting suspicious. You can draw colorful pictures of nature to get their

attention, sing them a song about God or maybe even let them watch Discovery Channel to see different animals.

I remember holding an “Art Day” at home for my little brother and his friends while all the folks were out for work on a weekend. I took out my paint tubes and brushes, pastels, colored pencils, crayons, clay –anything artistic –and taught them to make clay people, hats, and cars out of big empty boxes. They really had fun with their friends and the good thing is that they actually got to learn something productive. It was unbelievably messy at the end of the day, but I had heaps of fun too, which made me realize that it helps to act their age once in a while!

3) Give them something interesting to discover.By discover, I don’t mean put them in an isolated room along with

Einstein and get them talking –what I’m saying is that you think of something a little child would get interested in and give him the chance to check it out alone. You could give a story book about the solar system. Or maybe even sunglasses. The point is, simple things get a child’s imagination working as much as ours do on Calculus.

4) Do NOT FORCE them to “get lost”.I’ve often seen the fact older brothers and sisters forget: the more

forceful you are on the little ones, the more fun they’ll have in annoying you. This is mainly because of the faces we display when we’re angry or the voice we use –and there’s nothing we can do about that.

What would be helpful is to gently talk your brother into doing something better. Instead of shouting and being physical, try your best to smile and urge him to read or draw. Even a little television is worth suggesting. Just remember that two negative forces can’t ever (except in mathematical concepts) make a positive.

Discipline is not limited to these four tips, and often, the strategy lies on you and your sibling. Tactics vary but produce very similar results. So the next time your Bratty Brother makes a jamboree out of your things, relax and take (gentle) charge. There’s nothing better than knowing what to do when you don’t know what to do!