Problem with Brothers kids at our house

Question

My brother and SIL have 2 children 7 and 4. They are not bad kids but they have not been disciplined properly.

When they come over they go through our cupboards and jump on our furniture and they really have no respect for adults in general. We have lived close by to them for 9 months now and when they do something i don't like i tell them. They still don't listen so i 'yell' at them. My brother has started getting his knickers in a knot about it and he makes alot of snide jokes about me being mean to the kids. He is very sensitive and i know if i told him what i really thought he would probably never speak to me again! I love him but my house is no hippie house and i don't think children and adults are equal, i think there should be some respect. What is the best way to deal with this situation?

Answer 1

Hmmm....sounds like quite a problem.

Well, instead of just blurting out what you think full-out, tell him about it. Instead of yelling at the kids, try telling him. Say you don't want to see either of the kids getting hurt from falling off furniture or anything like that. After all, you -are- related to these kids. Just say you would rather him speak to them personally about not ransacking your house like that. They would most likely listen to their mother and father before anyone else, am I right?