We play many roles in our lives such as parent, child, teacher, student, boss, employee, friend, spouse and the list goes on. The relationships that we develop in these roles can be more meaningful when we treat people as peers rather than subordinate or boss. By treating someone as your peer you share vulnerability, create a connection and develop a more authentic and meaningful relationship.
Dr. Stephen Treat suggests that parents that treat their children as peers have far more meaningful relationships with their children. Based on his experience it is the biggest factor that determines how long the marital relationship of the child lasts later in life. One of the key aspects in relationships is that power is given and not demanded. Of course this still means that as a parent you are responsible for establishing boundaries and enforcing them (consider the Art of Dialog as a useful technique). You may be surprised to see how authentic relationships that are not based on “power trips” will lead to an improvement of the quality of your life as well as the ones around you. Is this worth trying today?
Useful Links:
* http://www.councilforrelationships.org/staff/bio_treat_stephen.htm
* http://www.healthpanda.com
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