The parents filled in questionnaires about the frequency and level of arguments in their household. The findings showed that most argued less than once a day but, if children were involved in an argument, if it was conducted in front of them or if they could overhear it, the long-term consequences could be severe. Boys, in particular, were more likely to become aggressive and be easily provoked by their peers. Ms Wild Ms Wild said that although children needed to be exposed to some conflict to learn the important lessons of life, parents should try to argue out of sight and earshot of their children. However, they do suggest that exposing children to frequent, intense arguments does appear to place children at risk of not understanding other people's emotions and being more aggressive,'' she said.
Conflict is part of everyday life and everybody has to learn how to deal with it.
Children can sense when there is conflict, even if they don't see or hear it and the most important thing is to show them how arguments have been resolved,'' she said. Copyright 2000 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.