Биболетова – 9 класс – Часть 3 – Раздел 2 – Упражнение 57

– Good morning, Mrs Smith.
– Good morning, Mr Hanks. I wanted to talk to you about my sons. The problem is that they quarrel and fight nearly every day. And I don’t know what to do with it. Sometimes I try to support the younger son, but my husband absolutely disapproves it and tells me that we should be fair with both of our boys. I want my sons to be friends and to solve their conflicts peacefully.
– I understand that you want your children to live in peace, Mrs Smith. But you shouldn’t tell them what to do. This is not the right way of resolving this problem. The boys should learn to find a compromise and they should do it themselves. Also you should not strongly support one of them, as this can make the conflict even bigger. All you should do is to help your children prevent and resolve the conflicts.
– But both of them are so stubborn! Each of them thinks that he is always right and doesn’t want to make a compromise.
– That’s why you should talk to each of them separately and to explain to them that they should be friends. All conflicts between them can be resolved peacefully. And there are five steps of resolving a conflict. Firstly, the boys should decide what the problem is and then each of them should suggest an idea of how to solve the problem. For example, when they understand that they don’t agree with each other, they should try to talk to each other instead of fighting. Each of them should tell his point of view on this problem and try to prove that he is right. Then they should discuss both ideas together and try to choose the better one. Of course, if both of ideas don’t suit everybody, the boys should suggest another one, which will make a compromise. Then they should put the idea into action. If you will explain these small rules to your boys, they will remember them and instead of making a fuss about something they will discuss the problem. Discussion always helps in understanding each other.
– Thank you very much, Mr Hanks. I’ve never thought about it myself. I hope that this advice will help my sons to stop arguing and to speak one language. Thanks!
– Not at all. I will be glad if my advice really helps your children.