Conflict is normal in relationships, and perfect compatibility only happens in fairytales. But knowing how to fight fair can lead us to a happy ending. The first requirement is a supportive environment. So we need to make two agreements right up front. First, that a […]
All posts tagged: communications
There’s Power In Our Perceptions
As a single parent of three sons, the license plate on my car read BOYSNI, because most of my statements seemed to begin with, “The boys ’n I….” But after seven years, my girlfriend said to me, “Grace, if you don’t lose that license plate, […]
Karma Is Friendlier Than It Sounds
The popularized concept of karma is that it’s cosmic payback for doing something wrong. But really, it’s the process of setting a cause in motion and experiencing the effect. So how can we identify karma in our daily lives? Here’s a fail-proof test: If something […]
How To Stay Calm When Everyone’s Losing It
On a visit to Taormina on Sicily, our hotel was situated so that we could stand on our balcony and see Mount Etna in the distance. I told my husband, Ron, how great it was that the locals had strung colored lights down the mountainside. […]
Every Argument Begins With The Second Sentence
One of our most valuable tools in relating with others is the ability to argue effectively. And even before red-hot issues reach the level of an argument, there are steps we can take for handling conflict, including three necessary elements for reaching resolution. The first […]
48 Hours That Will Transform Any Relationship
One of my friends keeps talking about leaving his wife. The two of them are great together when they’re good. But they stink when they’re bad, because each of them makes it all about the other. He spends a lot of time in stage three […]
10 Things Good Communicators Do Well
1. They maintain their integrity. Effective communicators know what their true intention is. And they hold that focus, instead of doing something else. My husband, Ron, was an altar boy in the Catholic church from age seven to seventeen. Toward the end, he felt disheartened, […]
Marathon Communicating With Our Children
Many cultures use special rituals during the adolescence and teen years to mark the time when children transition to becoming responsible for themselves. When my son turned thirteen, I asked two-dozen of our friends who had known him throughout his life to write their memories and […]
What Language Is My Child Speaking?
As a mother of three sons, I would sometimes ask them during their adolescent years, “Are you practicing to be ventriloquists? Is that why you don’t open your mouths when you speak?” Eventually, I understood that, since teenagers are often expected to stop saying what […]
10 Keys For Managing Beliefs
Life will be as wonderful or as terrible as we believe it is. Our daily lives are the result of what we tell ourselves. Our attitudes develop out of the thoughts we choose. Beliefs are just thoughts we repeat until they seem true. If we […]
Gifting And Getting Feedback
I was sitting in our yard one day when my seven-year-old son came out of the house and sat down beside me. I kept looking at his face, thinking that something looked different. Then I realized he’d shaved off his eyebrows. And I was really […]
