ID-680-Matthew Maddox

I wanted to offer some suggestions to the folks who came to the microphone who were concerned about family. My wife and I have experience that in our family with a particular relative, I think a lot of people here have. How do you approach those people? How do you address those folks in your family who may be immediate family? We have found it to occur in stages. They were pretty rapid stages. There was a stage of avoidance and _I got to take a shower,_ and _I got to run an errand._ Then there’s the _Well, why are you always having to take a shower? Are you that dirty? Why can’t you plan your grocery runs when I’m not coming over?_ Then the rubber hits the road. You start to get traction. If that relative isn’t getting it, then the relative gets a bit more aggressive and tries to push things. Then you summon as much love as you can muster and try to explain what’s going on to that person. Sometimes that doesn’t work either and that’s where the separation becomes more significant. I just wanted to share that because it’s difficult process with some relatives.