Children are learning how to interact with others from their families, and these patterns are learned very early. As I mentioned earlier, the manner in which conflict is resolved is more important than how often conflict occurs. If everyday issues are addressed in a productive or constructive way, children benefit. I talked about the harm that destructive types of conflicts can cause. Some of the most destructive types of conflicts occur when partners withdraw from one another, stonewall, or show disrespect.
Children are very sensitive to the emotional quality of the home.
Parents may think children are not aware of conflict, but they are. Children are just as upset by nonverbal as by verbal conflict. There are many pathways of influence on children s peer relationships. I talked about the direct effect of seeing how parents deal with conflict. The marital relationship also has a significant impact on the parent-child relationship.