Leonora and Joshua are having disagreements about Leonora returning to work after staying home with their child, Christa, who is now 3 months old. There is constant rejection and retaliation as Leonora demonstrates anger by yelling at Joshua. Joshua continues expressing his opinions about the cost and care of day care centers and wants Leonora to wait until Christa is 5 years old and starts kindergarten. Leonora feels that if she is out of the workplace for 5 years it will be extremely difficult for her to re-enter and will have to start her career from the beginning and move backwards with salary and benefits. They both feel stress because of the economic pressures as well as freedom to continue the lifestyle that they were accustomed to before Christa arrived.Guideline 1: Express Anger Directly and with Kindness
Guideline 2: Check Out Your Interpretation of Others’ Behaviors
Guideline 3: To Avoid Attacks, Use “I” Statements
Guideline 4: Avoid Mixed, or Double Messages
Guideline 5: When You Can, Choose the Time and Place Carefully
Guideline 6: Address a Specific Issue, Ask for a Specific Change, and Be Open to Compromise
Guideline 7: Be Willing to Change Yourself
Guideline 8: Don’t Try to Win
Guideline 9: Be Willing to Forgive
Guideline 10: End the Argument