Family Disagreements

Good morning, Five Minute Families! It is wonderful to join you on this cold, cold morning. We have all spent much of the past year inside with way too much family time. Wait? Did we really just say too much family time? Well, ok, let’s adjust that. Maybe there is not technically too much family time, but admit it, sometimes it FEELS like that, doesn’t it? Especially when disagreements happen and there are very few physical, on-the-go distractions to give some time, space, and perspective. Families fight. We disagree and misunderstand each other and all that jazz. But, how do we RESOLVE disagreements? We cannot wallow in our anger, and we cannot become comfortable in the silence that often results as we seek to avoid further conflict. So, how does a five-minute family deal with those disagreements? Parents, the role of negotiator, mediator, or arbitrator will often fall on you. You must resolve to set good boundaries and fair practices. It can be so very exhausting if one or more of your children are more prone to conflict-producing behavior, but you need to seek the Lord’s strength and wisdom. Don’t step away from your God-given role like I tried to do once during a particularly trying period in one of our son’s lives. He seemed to live to disagree with everyone inside our home. Abdicating my role was a mistake, and I had to learn from it. We must, above all, display Christ-like character. Even when we may feel like a failure, we must intentionally choose the attitude of Christ. Philippians 2:4-5 reminds us that “each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.” In all disagreements, there will be times to compromise. There will be times to collaborate, and there will be times to accommodate the other person’s needs. Remaining flexible is extremely important. 1.    First, define the specific problem at hand. Now, you might see that there is a deeper, underlying issue, but try to focus o