Conflict: The Inner Turmoil

Several weeks ago, I wrote out a whole blog entry related to a situation hubby and I were dealing with, and then deleted it. It felt good to get it out, but not exactly appropriate to share with the whole world.  It led to this post which sat unfinished in my "drafts" folder for probably a month.  I ran across it yesterday and finally finished it.

What I discovered during my little "venting" session, is that I spend so much time helping my princesses learn how to navigate relationships, and yet it's so very hard to actually put those things into practice in my own life.

Adult drama doesn't seem to occur as often as child drama, but when it does it's bigger, meaner and more conniving. And I hate that. Did no one's parents teach them what to do when confronted with a conflict? Did no one carry those lessons into adulthood?

I don't have alot of experience with confrontation because I tend to avoid it. Oh I'm REAL good at running off my mouth and giving people a piece of my mind - when I'm at home alone or have hubby's ear cornered. But actually in person, in the heat of the moment? Um, no. And in some ways I hate that. I'm trying hard to help my princesses learn to walk the line between being compassionate and not being a doormat. It's tough.  Especially when I'm not even sure how to walk the line myself.

Bottom line is, we can't change other people.  We can only look at how we respond to situations and adjust accordingly in a way that is mature, fair and integrity-filled.  Sometimes that means to stand your ground.  Other times that means to turn the other cheek.  I can only hope I have the discernment and confidence to know the difference between the two.