Learning from my parents...

My mom and step father have been married since I was 5 years old.  Almost 25 years ago they got married, it was my mom's third marriage and my step dad's second.  I refer to them as my parents.   We recently had a long & interesting conversation about what makes a marriage work.

One of my parents' main marital strengths is their ability to choose their battles wisely.  They don't get into conflict about petty, insignificant disagreements. They have an amazing ability to talk about just about anything without getting into conflict.  They find humor in everyday life and that binds them together.

Choosing my battles is definitely not one of my innate strengths.  I have difficulty choosing my battles with my children and my spouse.  I find myself getting upset about insignificant events frequently.  I easily see how finding a new process would dramatically improve my relationships. 

So why do I seem to continue to struggle with this?  Some thoughts to ponder, I suppose.