Model conflict resolution
#15Let your child witness healthy disagreements and conflict resolution.
Albert Bandura’s social learning theory demonstrates that children learn behavior primarily through observation — not instruction. They don’t learn conflict resolution from a lecture about it; they learn it by watching you disagree with your partner, repair the rupture, and move forward. When children witness healthy conflict — where people stay respectful, listen, and find resolution — they internalize that disagreement isn’t dangerous. It’s a skill.
Supporting Values
This principle helps cultivate these core values in your family:
Practical Examples
- • Show how to disagree respectfully with your partner or other adults
- • Demonstrate how to apologize and make amends
- • Let children see how conflicts can be resolved through communication
Related Activities
These family activities help put this principle into practice: