By Sarah Chana Radcliffe
We all want our way on the matters that are important to us... Make sure that your spouse gets his/her way HALF the time. Of course, there will be opportunities to meet each other half way - that is, compromise - on many issues, on many occasions - but there are also be plenty of situations where only one of you can "win." For example you may want another child and your spouse may not - only one of you will be happy with the outcome. On those kinds of issues make sure that your partner is happy with HALF the outcomes. Otherwise, you've got a dictatorship, not a marriage.
There's a time when we simply MUST scream..... Yell "FIRE!" when you see a fire. Yell "Stop!" when your toddler is about to walk into an intersection. Scream "HELP!" when a heavy piece of furniture has fallen on your foot. Loud voices are for emergencies. Unmade beds, disrespectful communication, unacceptable clothing, and almost all other inappropriate behavior characteristic of kids aged 2 - 20 falls into the non-emergency category, so you don't need to yell when addressing it.
