From the Parent Cue
Conflict is inevitable. And in case any of us doubted it, being sheltered in place due to COVID-19 clarified it. Living under the same roof as other people can be challenging. Every day we are faced with opposing ideas and opinions. Thoughts we disagree with. Perspectives we think are wrong. Attitudes that rub us the wrong way. Snappy attitudes, reactive anger, borderline disrespect and more. Our personality differences alone are enough to create friction. Add that to the fact that we have all been crammed into a shared living space in anxiety and fear producing times, it’s no wonder we are finding ourselves in more conflict than ever with those we share a home with.
With school being out and summer ahead of us, I suspect I am not the only parent getting clammy hands at the thought of what will end up being a six month stretch of kids at home, parents at home and an incredibly pared down social life. If arguing hasn’t been a mainstay in your house yet, come August and September, it will be. It’s reassuring that we are not alone in feeling this way. But that doesn’t exactly give us a way to move forward.
What do we do? How do we navigate the arguing between kids and between us and the kids? How do we diffuse conflict before it gets out of control? How do make peace the goal, but without ignoring real tensions and offenses that come up?
Because arguing is inevitable. But arguing well isn’t.
With school being out and summer ahead of us, I suspect I am not the only parent getting clammy hands at the thought of what will end up being a six month stretch of kids at home, parents at home and an incredibly pared down social life. If arguing hasn’t been a mainstay in your house yet, come August and September, it will be. It’s reassuring that we are not alone in feeling this way. But that doesn’t exactly give us a way to move forward.
What do we do? How do we navigate the arguing between kids and between us and the kids? How do we diffuse conflict before it gets out of control? How do make peace the goal, but without ignoring real tensions and offenses that come up?
Because arguing is inevitable. But arguing well isn’t.
Posted in Growth Resources