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How Can I Stop Fighting with My Mom?

  • Jessie Minassian lifeloveandgod.com
  • Published Mar 29, 2017
How Can I Stop Fighting with My Mom?

You love your mom, but sometimes getting along with her feels impossible. What can you do about it?

I know firsthand how trouble at home can creep into every area of life! I wish I could sit down with you and your mom together. When there’s friction between a daughter and her mom (or dad, for that matter), usually both sides need to make some adjustments.

But since it’s just you and me, we’ll have to focus on what you can do on your end to keep the tension in perspective and spread peace at home. Hopefully as you make adjustments, she will, too. You can’t control how your mom responds, but Romans 12:18 says, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” If you do everything in your power to live at peace with your family, God will bless you for it, even if things at home are never peachy.

Family fights can be hard to untangle because each of you brings your own set of ideas, perceptions, expectations, and baggage to the table. Then you throw in 1) teenage hormones (and sometimes menopause for moms, which is like the reverse of teenage hormones but just as intense), 2) spending a LOT of time together, and 3) you becoming an independent person. When you throw all those volatile things together, it’s not surprising that a whole lot of misunderstandings go on within the walls of a house!

Because there are so many factors that go into family drama, I don’t have a simple three-step, one-size-fits-all “fix” to offer. But here are five tips that will get you started in a positive direction:

1. Keep the goal in mind.

God wants to use your family—whether it’s close-to-perfect or completely messed up—to make you more like Jesus. Romans 8:29 says, “For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son” (NLT). I can’t think of any better place than family life to practice the super hard-to-learn characteristics of selflessness, forgiveness, patience, and genuine love.

2. Remember your parents are people, too.

Sometimes we forget that the people living under our roof are actual people, too—men and women with likes, dislikes, dreams, strengths, and expectations. And they are people who have sacrificed a lot to love us and take care of us! It can be so hard to see past how things affect us, but we gain a whole new appreciation for them when we take the time to really get to know our parents—who they are now and who they were before we came into the picture.

3. Remember your parents have weaknesses, too.

Newsflash: Your parents aren’t perfect. I know—that’s hardly news. But sometimes we act like they should be. We forget that they have feelings (which can get hurt), a limited supply of patience (which we love to test), and baggage from their past (their parents weren’t perfect either). If we want them to be patient with our less-than-stellar moments, we need to offer them the same grace.

4. Communicate like an adult.

It’s okay to disagree with your parents, but you’ll get a lot farther with them if you communicate your frustrations with a level head and calm voice. Proverbs 15:1 says, “A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare.” As a teen, I was usually a master at the eye-roll, shoulder-slump, edgy reply, and huff and stuff. My dad recently told me about a time he remembered I earned his respect during a fight we had. Guess what he was so proud of? I had kept my emotions in check even when he did not. It made a lasting impression!

5. Check your attitude.

Parents sense disrespect like a girl senses a cute guy is flirting with her—it only takes a little for some big emotions to come into play! So take an honest look at your attitude toward your parents. If you disrespect them in your heart, the truth will leak out one way or another. Ask God to help you truly change your heart toward them so that what flows out of your lips and body language will promote peace and show love.

One last encouragement. Don’t give up! This would be a good verse to write somewhere you’ll see it often:

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith (Gal. 6:9–10).

Be sure to hop back on the blog tomorrow for more on your relationships with your own family. In the meantime, I’d love to hear from you.

  • Do you struggle in your relationship with your mom or dad?
  • How can we pray for you specifically in this area?

This article originally appaered on Revive Our Hearts and LiesYoungWomenBelieve.com. Used with permission.

Jessie Minassian is a speaker, blogger, and the author of ten books and Bible studies, including Crushed, Unashamed, and Backwards Beauty. She is the "resident big sis" at LifeLoveandGod.com, a Q&A website for teen girls. Her work for teens and their parents has been featured internationally through outlets such as Focus on the Family, Parenting Today’s Teens, She Reads Truth, Axis, Revive Our Hearts and YouthWorker Journal. She and her husband live and serve at Hume Lake Christian Camps in California, and have two daughters.

Image courtesy: ©Thinkstock/doble-d

Publication date: March 29, 2017