When Family Members Act Unlovable
Sometimes when our family members act unlovable, those are the times they need our love the most. Here I'm focusing on our relationship with teenagers when they sometimes act unlovable. When I say "act unlovable," I mean their outward behavior is sometimes an act--like good old high school drama. While inside, a teen may be desiring to belong to a family, sometime their outward behavior screams "I hate you!" In other words, while teens are forming their own values, separate from their parents' worldview, they can say things (intentionally or otherwise) that rile up parents' emotions, a kind of "I-dare-you-to-stay-calm-after-I-say-this" attitude. Why do they do this? Often while they are developing their own worldview, they experiment by bouncing controversial statements off a parent. Those are the times when we, as parents, can choose patience in order to prevent permanently damaging the relationship. One way to not blow a gasket is t...