Fostering open communication and spending time together are two important tasks that are often taken for granted within families. It might be done for various reasons, such as not having enough time between work and school, or because they prefer doing anything else besides that.
As a mother and a wife, your job is to care for your family by keeping them physically, mentally, and emotionally healthy. But that can be overwhelming if you have other responsibilities like working a full-time job and maintaining the household.
Caring for your family can become more challenging if both your kids and spouse are stubborn. You can try to juggle all your responsibilities simultaneously, but sooner or later, having too much on your plate will take a toll on your mental and physical health as well.
The Source of Miscommunication and Misunderstandings
Most families don’t communicate with one another effectively even if they talk all the time because they may not be truthful about substantial things. It can happen between spouses, a parent and a child, or with siblings, and it can be detrimental to their relationships.
This is often where communication barriers start piling up high and can be hard to break down, especially if you consider your family as a stressor. You might not notice it immediately, but a common coping mechanism is to get busy with work or household tasks to spend less time with your family.
You might also see this happening with your kids, especially when they reach the age when they prefer to spend time and talk with their friends than with you. They may keep you out of their lives deliberately, which leaves you clueless about what’s going on with them.
And of course, this can also happen with your spouse during the times when you’re both exhausted from work and you project the anger you’re carrying onto each other. Instead of actively listening to what the other has to say, your own anger or irritation may get the best of you.
Miscommunication within the family and the inability to actively listen to one another are the main sources of misunderstandings that can blossom into fights. Unresolved fights can lead to showing passive-aggressive behaviors, becoming emotionally closed-off, or leaning towards rebellion.
How to Foster Open Communication with Your Family
Keep in mind that communication is a two-way street. To get your point across effectively, you will have to listen to the other person as well. This includes comprehending what the other person has to say and responding appropriately with verbal confirmations or non-verbal gestures.
If you feel like your family is drifting away from you even if you’re sitting at the same dining table, then it might be time to take action. Bridging the gaps that constant miscommunication and misunderstanding can leave on your relationships is difficult, but not impossible.
For instance, you can hold sit-down talks with each member of your family to initiate an honest conversation. You can admit your shortcomings and highlight the areas you think you can improve on with the hope that they would do the same to you.
Once you’ve managed to communicate with everyone, you can conduct weekend dinners for the whole family where you ask about each other’s weeks, the problems they are dealing with, or anything about their personal lives. Allow them to let you in their lives on their own terms.
But if you think that these simple actions are not feasible for your situation, then it might be time to consider going to family counseling and therapy to resolve your issues. With an expert mediator that encourages you to speak out, be heard, and be understood, your family may become stronger than ever.
Effective Communication is the Glue that Keeps Your Family Together
You might be surprised at how many conflicts in history could have been avoided if only people knew how to communicate properly. Choosing to run away from conflict or letting your heightened emotions get the best of you is always easier than resolving your issues, but it’s what needs to be done.
Facing your misunderstandings with your family through effective communication is difficult because it can bring up repressed emotions or unwanted feelings. However, it’s necessary so that you can all purge the anger that may already be polluting your insides.
If you allow conflicts and misunderstandings to be your family’s demise, then it’s like you’re giving up on your family. Don’t let the issues that can be resolved be the cause of your family’s destruction, especially not when there’s something you can do about it.