Source: Anthony Jurich, Professor of Family Studies and Human Services
AUDIO NEWS REPORT on "Surviving difficult family members during the holidays"
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1: Dealing With Difficult Relatives
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INTRO: We all have that one relative -- the overbearing aunt or that spoiled nephew -- that can make our most joyous holiday gatherings a nightmare. Instead of turning into Ebenezer Scrooge this season, a professor of family studies at Kansas State University shows you how you can successfully deal with even the most abrasive family member. Lanice Thomson has more . . .
THE HOLIDAYS CAN BE ONE OF THE MOST NERVEWRACKING TIMES OF THE YEAR, AND THOSE DIFFICULT RELATIVES CAN ONLY ADD TO THE STRESS. ANTHONY JURICH, A PROFESSOR OF FAMILY STUDIES AND HUMAN SERVICES AT KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY, SAYS ONE OF THE MOST DIFFICULT TYPES OF RELATIVES TO DEAL WITH IS A PERSON WHO ONLY WANTS THINGS DONE HIS OR HER WAY. . .
(Jurich :19 "You've got to ask your self how much can we accommodate so that Aunt Harriett can feel important versus how much do we sit there and get more assertive and say no, I can't do that. This is what I'm going to do instead. And Aunt Harriett may not like it, but she's going to have to learn how to do some accommodations herself." )
JUST WHAT SHOULD YOU NOT DO? JURICH RECOMMENDS AGAINST MAKING SNAPPY COMMENTS TO EACH OTHER, OR BRINGING UP PAST PROBLEMS DURING THE VISIT – SOMETHING THAT COULD RUIN THE ENTIRE HOLIDAY FOR EVERYONE. LANICE THOMSON . . . KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY.
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2: Act your age!
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INTRO: You're a successful adult with a family of your own. Then why in the world do you feel like a child when you go home for the holidays? A professor of family studies at Kansas State University has tips on how you can "act your age" when you go home for the holidays. Lanice Thomson has more. . .
AS ADULTS, MOST OF US LIKE TO SPEND TIME WITH OUR PARENTS, BUT WHEN WE GO HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS, WHY DO WE FEEL THIRTEEN INSTEAD OF THIRTY-FOUR? ANTHONY JURICH, PROFESSOR OF FAMILY STUDIES AND HUMAN SERVICES AT KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY SAYS WHEN YOU SPEND A WEEK OR SO WITH YOUR PARENTS, YOU TEND TO REGRESS BACK TO YOUR CHILDHOOD. INSTEAD, HE SUGGESTS APPROACHING THE HOLIDAY VISIT WITH PARENTS ADULT-TO-ADULT. . .
(Jurich : 25 Be more assertive as an adult. We tend to not do that with our parents, in part because we're not used to it, and in part they are our parents and they will always will be, and we kind of regress back. What you have to do is keep your own age. If you're acting like your six, or eight or thirteen, then chances is, you've fallen into the trap of sliding back into your own childhood. Stop! Be thirty-four again!"
LANICE THOMSON. . .KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY.