Family Obligations Family obligations can be defined any number of ways, such as parents and children sharing dinner together at home, chauffeuring kids to school or extracurricular activities, helping with homework assignments, taking care of a live-in grandparent, visiting in-laws, or anything involving a time commitment to family. For the purpose of this discussion, I focus on family obligations defined...

Surviving the Tough Compromises With a better understanding of some gender-specific approaches to compromise, we’re more equipped to explore some critical issues men and women face together over time in their relationships, namely: Finances Sex Household Chores Family Obligations Personal Goals/Ambitions Parenting Finances Of all the contentious issues couples struggle with in their romantic relationships, the almighty dollar causes more...

Collaborating (assertive, cooperative)   The collaborative approach to conflict resolution seeks creative solutions by identifying primary issues in an effort to understand the other person’s perspective. This conflict management style encourages mutual respect and trust to help build a healthy relationship through a “win-win” approach. Compromising (intermediate in both assertiveness and cooperativeness) The compromising style demonstrates a willingness to surrender...

Mick Jagger said it best when he first crooned, “You can’t always get what you want.” The act of compromise involves a give and take. You don’t always win, but you don’t always lose either. For some couples, compromise denotes a four–letter word; for others, compromise strengthens their romantic relationship. Compromise means letting go of control and recognizing our partner’s...