Enjoy life with your wife (and you husband), whom you love…  ECC 9:9 

 

Benjamin Franklin said, 'Those things that hurt, instruct.' If we’re to grow as families, to be as successful as we are in other areas, we must learn how to cope with difficulties at home. Marriages start because of love, but they continue because of commitment. Here are some suggestions for trouble-shooting at home: (1) Attack the problem, not the person! You’re all on the same team, so don’t take your frustrations out on your loved ones (2) Get all the facts. Before you offer (or impose) solutions, make sure you really understand the problem. Think before you speak. Nothing’s more damaging than jumping to conclusions (3) List all your options. When you do, you’ll be less emotional and more objective. That’s how you’d handle it, if you had a problem at work, so why not do the same for your family? (4) Look for the positives. Scott Peck writes, 'It’s only because of problems that we grow mentally and spiritually. It’s through the pain of confronting and resolving them that we learn.' No matter how bad things seem at the time, every situation holds something positive - so look for it (5) Never withhold your love. No matter how bad things get, never withhold your love. It’s O.K. to tell your family how you feel, so long as you do it graciously. But make sure they know that you love them unconditionally despite the problems. Why? Because when people feel loved and supported, they can weather just about any crisis!