It Takes Training and Teaching

Parents are to train and teach while showing what justice looks like. That means we hear both sides of the story, punish the bully and comfort that offended. To "let them work it out", is negligence.

The attitude we were raised with, for parents to stay out of children's fights, were nothing less than laziness.

Children do not work things out properly, they have to be trained how to do that.

I cannot tell you the number of times I and others were bullied by an older brother, while our parents did nothing to this "golden child", making the excuse that "we were too sensitive" or "stop acting like a baby" when we cried at his meanness.

To this day that same brother is rude, mean and self absorbed, almost 70 and still acting like a six year old. When we do not instruct children to care for their siblings, teaching respect and honor, the sibling relationships are destroyed for lack of training.

Some of us tried to instruct our own children but were mocked and demeaned for "making a big deal out of nothing." Because we were not supported by other adults, the children learned the mean ways of those who refused to obey Christ.

Our culture is a mess when it comes to resolving anything. Most people make no attempt at resolving things, they simply act entitled, rude and condescending while refusing to discuss anything to come to a solution.

2 Corinthians 5:16-21 "16 Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer.
17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
18 Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation,
19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."

Christ is all about reconciliation and this cannot happen without dialogue and negotiation, each one resolving to understand the other. This takes empathy and kindness.