The Relationship and Communication with Mother - Essay Example

Effective bonding among individuals is essential for an effective and meaningful relationship. Relationships play a significant role in various aspects of our life including our health, mind, and our relations with others. Therefore, relationships should be kept strong by building trust and love. Relationships can also be enhanced by changing ourselves so as to improve communication and connections and minimize conflicts.

Personally, I have a very good relationship with my mother. She is like a best friend to me and I can talk about anything with her. We share the same ideas and beliefs about most things which make communication between us more effective. However, like any other relationship, it has its positive as well as negative aspects. Although we have a very friendly relationship we argue frequently on trivial matters. Also, it sometimes causes disagreement when I have to make decisions. Being a parent she feels the need to influence my decisions so that I make good choices however it causes discontent as I feel I am capable of making decisions myself. Regardless of all the disagreements I always try to be respectful and I try to listen to what she has to say.

Perception varies from person to person. It involves the use of our sensory receptors during our interaction with others (Griffin & Bone, 31). Moreover, our focus and attention on particular sensory information are influenced by many factors including intensity, frequency, and size of impulses as well as personal motives (Griffin &Bone, 32). Often my mother tries to impact my decisions because of her role in the family and her perception of different matters. She possesses greater experience and thus does not want me to make poor decisions. Having different perceptions about the world our choices often contradict. Because we both cannot read each others’ minds it is helpful to communicate with each other more so that our feelings can be understood clearly. This would help bridge the gap and enhance our relationship.

Communication is a basic element of relationships and communication can be improved through active listening. This is because listening helps us validate others, assists us in comprehending, learning, and encouraging “civic engagement” (Griffin & Bone, 100). Often my mother complains that I do not listen to her. The reason is pseudo-listening when a person seems to be paying attention. In reality, however, the person is “distracted by other thoughts” (Griffin & Bone, 103). Listening and paying attention to her when she is speaking would demonstrate that she is being heard and understood instead of simply assuming that I already know what she is trying to say.

So, my relationship with my mother can be improved through active listening and better communication. The presence of different perceptions among individuals about different matters creates differences in thinking.