Learn To Talk Over Your Differences

Conflicts are part of human life. They can be found in every sphere of life. They come about when two or more people fail to resolve their differences and there is a breakdown of communication resulting in a clash.

When conflicts are unresolved they lead to war. I hope you have heard about conflicts between countries and even among tribes and clans.

When there are wars many people, including children, are killed. Ghana witnessed one of such conflicts in the north of the country recently.

As teenagers, you can also experience conflict at school, home, with your friends, etc. The commonest conflict most of you are likely to experience is that between you and your parents.

You may not agree with them on various issues, such as the clothes you wear, the friends you make, your future career and even the choice of school.

Most teenagers clash with their parents on issues of morality. No responsible parent would take it lightly when he or she sees his or her child in relationships with the opposite sex.

When parents get to know about such relationships, they do everything within their power to put an end to them in order to protect their children. This is because when teenagers engage in relationships, they create unnecessary problems for themselves which affect their studies and cause them to perform poorly in school.

Some parents, in resolving these issues, may go to the extreme and their actions are misunderstood and frowned upon by their children. This can lead to constant arguments at home and even strain the relations between them and their parents.

One thing you must know is that your parents have a big task of moulding you into useful citizens in future. No parent want their children to be failures in life.

In trying to shape the lives of their children positively, parents might step on the children's toes but that does not mean that the children should go into tantrums or go to the extent of exchanging words with them.

They want the best for you and, therefore, you should find a better way of resolving these conflicts.

There may be times where you may seem right, but always remember that at one point in your life or even many times you may have to compromise.

In dealing with your parents, you cannot always be right. When this happens, you need to swallow your pride and eat humble pie by apologising to them and, above all, living according to their dictates. If you do this, you will win the hearts and love of your parents.

By Hannah A. Amoah