We printed out two copies of the rules, one for my desk and one for his. And we’ve pulled out the list in the middle of arguments to keep us fair and on track. The reading of the list makes us laugh and helps to dissipate the tension so we can have a real discussion about the issue we’re debating instead of an emotional tug-of-war. ( Read more )

My Aunt Debbie, the Lutheran minister, suggested that my husband and I make a Rules of Conflict list during our premarital counseling sessions. We made a list that has fun rules as well as serious ones based on both of our personalities. Our list of rules looks like this: ( Read more )

Conflict is just part of the deal when you’re in a relationship with another human being who does things differently than you do. Madeleine L’Engle wrote a beautiful poem to her husband of thirty years that is in her published journal The Irrational Season. ( Read more )