Does Your Kid Make You Feel Like You Can Do Nothing Right?

Without the empathy and respect piece, we don’t create safety for the other person in the relationship. This derails our conversations and keeps us from getting to the root cause. Instead we typically try to justify or at least explain our side of the story which makes thing unsafe for the other person.

I’ll admit that typically I’m terrible about making sure I validate the other person. I just want to fix the problem and move on. However, we need to remember that conflict resolved well (with empathy, validation, and safety), creates a more intimate relationship.

I’ve given my son permission to give me a cue when I head down the path of justifying my actions before I’ve made sure he has been heard. It’s humbling to see how many times I get it wrong. That said, I want to grow in my relationships with others–especially with my kids.

Proverbs 19:11

A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense.

Dare you to look at how you respond when your kids seems frustrated or angry at you.  Empathize, validate, and create safety to mend and create a more fulfilling relationship.

Debbie Hitchcock is co-author of With All Due Respect: 40 Days to a More Fulfilling Relationship with Your Teens & Tweens (Thomas Nelson, 2016). She is a trainer, speaker, and parenting coach at Greater Impact Ministries, Inc. and blogs at DebbieHitchcock.com. Debbie and her husband, Dave, have been married since 1978, and they have four grown children.