“Mom—you idiot—my best T-shirt’s still in the wash!” is an attack
from the start, and many parents would give an immediate 3 for the
“idiot” remark.
Sometimes listening doesn’t work as well as you’d like. Keep the
1-2-3 strategy ready in your back pocket. The homework conversation
might have gone like this:
“Why are you making me do this stupid homework now?”
“Homework’s a real bummer, isn’t it?” (Reflecting)
“Yeah, I hate it!”
“Boy, you really don’t like it, do you?” (Reflecting)
“I could be rollerblading with Jason.”
“You’d really prefer to be outside playing.” (Summary)
“Don’t just say back everything I say!”
“That’s 1.”
marcin
(Marcin)
#1