It can be hard to find common ground with your family sometimes. Your parents are from one generation and you are from another so maybe your opinions are more with today’s time than your parents. It is important to learn to pick your own battles and agree to disagree to avoid letting arguments get too personal.
It might feel easier if the people at our dinner table always agreed with us about our beliefs and opinions. The truth is that it does not always have to be that way. You need to respect those around you. For example, maybe your parents feel that gay marriage is wrong but because you are from this generation and may know a lot of gay people. You could explain to your parents why you feel like gay marriage has the right to be legal but they can have their own reasons for objecting like if they do not agree with the same sex being together or for religious reasons. Your parents are not bad people for not feeling the same way that you do just like you are not a bad person for disagreeing with your parents. You can choose to ignore your parent’s opinion and just agree to disagree.
Your parents may try to persuade you that they are right such as through guilt, showing you a news article, or turning on their favorite news station to further prove their point. You might have already expressed why you feel the way you do to your parents but they still will not budge. At this point, end the subject and just tell them that it is fine if they do not agree with you. Having different perspectives can make a family grow stronger as you can learn from your parents and your parents can learn from you.
While it is important to be able to share your opinion, it does not mean that you should always share it. If your parents are more to the right and you are more to the left on politics, it is a strong possibility that you all may never agree and there are probably some topics that have no point in being discussed. Politics can be very touchy and personal so it is best to stop pushing your family to agree with you on everything and just accept a difference of opinion to avoid anyone’s feelings getting hurt.
Located in downtown Midland, The Springboard Center’s mission is to offer programs and services to treat alcohol and drug addiction treatment using an evidence based curriculum, 12 step programs, diet, nutrition, exercise, emotional, mental and spiritual development for a long recovery. For more information, please call us at 432-620-0255 as we are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
