My two daughters have what is clearly a love/hate relationship. They go from loving each other dearly one minute, to being incredibly angry with each other the next. They are three years apart, so I guess, this type of behavior is “normal.” But still, it bothers my wife and I immensely when they fight and argue as intensely as they do.
And yet, there are other times, where their play is so cute, and so loving, that it can be tough to remember the times where they are screaming at one another. When they’re simply messing around, it is like they are the best friends ever.
All of this love/frustration made me think about the tumultuous nature of relationships and how, to truly help people manage them, we need to be really aware of what is working, and what isn’t, for the people we serve.
While I strongly agree with the idea that we need to surround ourselves with those who think differently from us, I also believe that those interactions need to be collaborative, and at the least, civil.
While my daughters clearly aren’t there yet all of the time, I’m at least buoyed by the fact that they do, many times, love each other’s company. Just as in my professional role, I need to do what I can to help further their relationship and help it continue to grow, rather than focus on those situations where rifts and cracks appear.