Communicating With Your Partner About the Kids
Raising your children is the most important task you and your partner will ever share. As parents, you have the responsibility of making decisions about your children's education, healthcare, and countless other vital aspects of life. Parents don't always agree on how to raise their kids, and this can sometimes lead to tension in the family. Differing parenting styles tend to be the culprit in most instances. Everyone has their own way of relating to their loved ones, and parents are no different.
Kids tend to bring out gut-level emotional reactions in us. We love them more than anything on earth, and we want to make the best decisions for them. Parenting also brings up old emotions connected to our own childhoods.
There are plenty of kid-related things a couple can find themselves at loggerheads about, but some of the most common include:
- Discipline - You're a softie who gives in to the umpteenth request for "5 more minutes" of play before bed; he's the unmoveable mountain who sticks to the rules come what may...or vice versa. Discipline styles vary, and when two differing styles try to handle the same child in the same situation, look out. Kids can add to the trouble when they get old enough to notice your disagreement. They'll try and get their way by using the old divide and conquer technique, and it usually works.