Getting on the Same Page

Conflict often happens in the details especially in parenting decisions.  We forget that in all likelihood what we want for our children is on the same page with our partner.  That is, we want our children to feel loved and safe and we want them to develop in a healthy way.  With the busyness and demands of life with children, work, sleep deprivation, and the often depleted appreciation bank, it is easy to be less than our best selves.  To be short with our partners, harsh, or defensive all these bad communication habits are not conducive to solving problems or collaborative decision making.  If you find yourself stuck with your partner in habits that are not working you do not have to stay stuck.  There two steps that can help to get on the same page.  The first is owning our behaviors that are inhibiting the process of working as a team (e.g. being defensive, aggressive, disrespectful, etc.) and consciously making efforts to work as a team.  The second is taking a step back to remember and to remind each other of the large unified goals you have together as parents.