Little Grace pushes her plate away, puckers up in her best pout and says, ?I?m full. I don?t want to eat any more.? Dad crosses his arms across his chest, knits his brows and replies, ?You?ll finish what?s on your plate or there will be no dessert.? And then, for good measure, he adds, ?And no TV either.? Mom, upset by her mate?s my-way-or-the-highway stance, attempts to soften the blow on Little Grace by interjecting with the following: ?She?s eaten almost everything. Close enough. Don?t be such a bully.? ?Bully"? sputters hubby, incredulously, ?You?ve got to be kidding me! You are such a pushover!?
The less-than idyllic family-dinner scene devolves from there.
Sound familiar"
Differing parenting styles can put a huge strain on a marriage. Well, actually, it?s not the diverging styles that create the strain, it?s the meaning we attach to the divergence. But there are other, more useful ways to look at it. Here are the rules of the road when dealing with different parent styles: 1. Don?t judge
We all come by our parenting styles honestly. It?s an innate part of our history. Chances are, if your own parents were authoritarian, you?ll respond by being somewhat permissive; and if you were raised in a house with no rules or limits, you might veer towards a tightened grip on the reins. That parenting pendulum swing is natural and innate. No one is to blame for it.
2. Don?t take it personally

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