Family conflicts are unavoidable. We have many relationships to manage: husband-wife, mother-child, father-child, brother-sister, sister-sister, brother-brother. How do you handle disagreements? Sibling rivalry? What are you doing to equip your children to deal with conflict resolution? The fact that you have differences is not as important as how you handle your differences. There are five styles of handling conflict: “I win” – Relationship is not valued. Needs are met. It’s…
At one point or another, every family experiences a confrontation of the wills. You may experience it daily with your bright and precocious child who tries to run your family and demands attention. Your preschooler may speak with authority, even if they are wrong. Your 10-year old may argue with you about most everything. Or your easy-going, bubbly child may ask for just one more hug, one more kiss, one…
Dear Joyce, My daughter just turned 3, and she is acting a little clingy right now. I am not sure if it’s because of her new baby brother, or if it’s just a phase. She is very social, but at times when I ask her to say hello to someone new, she gets shy and hides behind me. What I think is most frustrating right now is that she is…
Even in the best of marriages, there are issues. After the flowers have faded and dating is done, the habits that were once adorable, now seem rather irritating. The spontaneous, free-spirit we were attracted to has become unorganized and distracted. The strong leader has become demanding. The organized planner is inflexible, and the gentle soul ceases to have an opinion. Who changed? He? She? Why do we struggle when everything…
