A Good Fight

Fighting is good. And this is coming from someone who typically does not like confrontation. But I have been thinking about it a lot recently. Thinking about how important it is to have models of healthy relationships and that includes fighting.

I have had 2 conversations recently about this. One I was talking to a friend last week about random things, but the topic of relationships came up. His parents split up when he was really young and he was raised by his dad. He has talked about how it effects his views on lots of different things in life, but I think that fighting is one of those things. Another conversation I had was with a friend who has had some issues marriage and this person made a comment that "we never fought before we got married!"

I saw my parents being loving and affectionate and I am grateful for that. But relationships aren't always all flowers and rainbows. Because of that, I am even more grateful that I was able to grow up seeing my parents fight. To see my parents stick it out and argue through issues instead of giving up and walking away is even more valuable than just seeing the good times. It's easy to be loving when things are going well, but I am thankful that I got to experience them disagreeing and working through problems- to see them fighting well and choosing each other.

A lot of people think that there shouldn't be conflict in a "good" relationship and they are therefore quick to question things and more willing to walk away when things don't go as expected. I think that fighting is good in a relationship. Learning to fight well is a skill and it takes practice, but if it's the right person, it's worth it!

* Take this for what it's worth. It is just my opinion. I am perpetually single, so maybe I have it all wrong. Ha!