Mother's unusual way of managing feuding children has divided parents

This mum's method of managing her feuding siblings has divided the internet.
This mum's method of managing her feuding siblings has divided the internet. Photo: Facebook/Alexis Tillman

If you're currently in the thick of the school holidays, chances are your kids might be grating on one another's nerves by now.  "She looked at me mum!", "But it's my turn", "He stole my (insert object)". Sound familiar?

US mother Alexis Tillman knows the pain of siblings tiffs all too well - and her method of coping with them has divided the internet.

When Ms Tillman's children, 10-year-old Dominique and 8-year-old Tyler start bickering the Illinois mum asks them one simple question - "Do you need me to get the shirt?"

The garment in question is called the "I love you" shirt, which binds the pair together, momentarily, while they sort through their disagreements.

It's a method Ms Tillman has used for over a year now - and one, she insists, that works.

"I want them to get along, to stick together," she told CBS News of her unusual technique. "So that's what I'll keep trying to teach them. Whatever it is that you're arguing or bickering about it's silly, let it go."

The kids stand face-to-face, holding hands while wearing the " I love you" you shirt - and sometimes, they even slow dance.

"It depends on how bad the situation is that particular day," Ms Tillman said. "If it's something really dramatic I put on two or three songs."

A video the mother-of-four posted to Facebook, which shows the shirt in action, has been viewed a whopping 5.6 million times.

"I refuse to have my children distant or not getting along with each other, because after momma is gone, your siblings are all you have!" she wrote in the caption.

The response to Ms Tillman's post has been divisive. While many parents have taken note, describing the approach as "genius", others have criticised her use of the shirt, slamming it as "inappropriate" and "foolish".

"I say just let them argue," one commenter wrote. "And I mean that in the sense of them working out their differences. Think about it like this: if you had a grievance with a co-worker and rather than hashing that out, you all just had to be quiet and wear the same shirt together and dance together, how would you feel? Siblings arguing is practice for the real world. They're just trying to find their voices."

Many commenters raised concern about Ms Tillman's children being shamed in such a public forum - highlighting the clear discomfort on the kids' faces.

"There's no need to parade this on the internet for all to see," one woman wrote, expressing the sentiments of many. "We've all had ways to get our kids to get along and sort out their differences but we don't humiliate them for the world to see!"

Ms Tillman told CBS News that she believes using the shirt is preferable to other methods of discipline.

"I think the shirt is better because it's a little annoying. It beats yelling at them or spanking them," she said. "The 'love shirt' is simple. It's a different impact."

While Ms Tillman's take on the "get along shirt" has certainly divided the internet, the concept itself has been around for some time - just minus the slow dance, however.

 

#sisters #bestsistersever #getalongshirt #stopfighting #learntoloveeachother #differentbutstillsame

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