Mother and Daughter: Talking Your Way Through Tenuous Times
Explosives
Here is a word of warning from a mother of four children. She advises not to talk in a way that will cause divisiveness among family members. This can interrupt the harmony and goodwill among the entire family unit. She is particularly careful not to discuss her beefs about one daughter with another, nor will she allow herself to carry tales from one to the other.
Communication skills can get mother and daughter through tenuous times if they are creative in their thinking. For instance, if you keep annoying your mother or daughter by saying something the same old way and keep getting the same old response, ask her how you might express things better. You might also want to ask her what you say that pleases her the most. Be sure to interject a few of these into your conversations.
Once you have the vocabulary and the skills of communicating down, you will be able to…
- Express your hopes for your relationship.
- Jointly develop goals for your relationship.
- Identify what is important to both of you.
- Discuss your met and unmet expectations.
- Find solutions to conflicts by discovering and responding to common ground.
Excerpted from The Complete Idiot's Guide to Mothers and Daughters © 2001 by Rosanne Rosen. All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. Used by arrangement with Alpha Books, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
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