Conflict Resolution

I feel that I will use the 3R’s more often in my personal life and my work life.  For example, I work closely with my best friend who is also my mother and business partner.  This can be difficult at times because we don’t always see eye to eye.  She has tons of experience so many times, she can make decisions about the center without communicating with me or even getting my opinion.  At times, this causes friction between us because I feel that although I don’t have as much experience as she does, I have a lot to offer.  I don’t always agree with her “plan” and we then go back to communicating and brainstorming together.  This leads to a solution we both have agreed on.  I can recall a disagreement when we were designing the center and choosing colors for the early learning center.  Instantly, my mother wanted all primary colors (red, blue, yellow ).  I wanted a softer look like pastel colors.  Every time I walk into a center or school, I see the same colors and after a while, It seems uninteresting.  I wanted to create a design that would have our center stand out.  However, my mother would not back down on the colors she wanted.  She argued that those colors are brighter which will allow the children to learn easier and create a more playful environment.  I argued that the pastel colors weren’t bright but would soothe the children which would also allow them to concentrate and feel comfortable away from their parents.  In retrospect, this does not seem to be such a big deal.  I could’ve just given in to her colors and vice versa.  However, this was the beginning of our partnership and we were both going through a power struggle.  The 3R’s could have helped both of us to respect each others opinions and come up with a solution much quicker than we did.  In the end, the compromise was that we selected both colors.  In the toddler rooms, my mother’s primary colors were chosen.  My pastel colors are being displayed in the nursery for the infant children. 

After learning about the principles of nonviolent communication and the 3R’s, I feel that we could have come up with a broader range of solutions.  Had we both been respectful of each other’s opinion, reciprocated our ideas while even exploring other options, as well as being responsive to the children’s needs; we could have explored a wide range of ideas.  However, we are both satisfied with the outcome.  The children are learning and the overall goals have been met.  I just feel that we could have resolved things better with the knowledge I now have about conflict resolution.