How to Stop Kids Bickering About the Front Seat
Some days the fighting and bickering between kids can seem relentless. When it's time to hit the road and the kids are holding things up with their petty arguing over front seat privileges, it may be time to put your foot down and institute a peace policy. By teaching children skills for getting along and applying rules consistently, you can avoid these unpleasant squabbles.
Instructions
Follow safety guidelines that prohibit kids under age 13 from riding in the front seat at any time, states the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If you have kids younger than 13, they always buckle up in the backseat -- period. Devise a system of rotating the front seat spot to make it fair for your kids ages 13 and over. Helping kids solve problems with positive strategies is an effective way to teach conflict resolution, advises psychologist Rich Bayer, with Upper Bay Mental Health Services. Possible ways to share this seating arrangement include rotating among the older kids each time everyone is in the car, assigning days of the week to each child as "front seat days" or rotating weeks for front seat sitting. Your system may depend on the number of teens you have. If you only have two, it may be easier to let each kid sit in the front seat every other day. Create a reminder system for yourself if you have problems remembering whose turn it is to sit in the front seat. You might clip an index card with the front seat sitter's name on it to the passenger visor every day to eliminate issues with forgetting and ensuing fights. Remain absolutely consistent with the front seat system with your kids. By upholding this system consistently, your kids will accept it and much of the bickering should cease. Your kids won't need to worry or compete for the front seat because they always know whose turn it is and when their turn is coming.