In one study, fathers in less happy marriages were more negative toward their daughters than fathers in happy marriages. Psychologist Patricia Kerig suggests that as fathers withdraw emotionally from their wives they may do the same with their daughters. This may impair later relationships with adult men. All of the bad things we've been talking about don't have to happen. It's not that parents fight that is so distressing to children, it's how they fight.
Conflict is an unavoidable part of life.
Even the best marriages experience it. The trick is to keep it from tearing apart you and yours. There is a wrong and right way to fight about these four areas. In fact, psychologists can predict a marriage will fall apart by observing how a couple fights. The first warning sign is a failure to resolve the dispute.