I like to joke with my male friends that it’s everything we were taught in pre-marriage classes on how to manage conflict with our wives. For example, my wife says to me, “You’re not doing the dishes enough.” I can repeat her words to her: “From what I hear you saying, I’m not doing the dishes enough.” Then I should summarize her words to demonstrate that I understand the bigger issue: “I understand I’m not doing my share of the house duties.” Finally, I should empathize by speaking her emotions back to her: “Oh, that must make you feel disrespected. Have I heard you correctly?” A final step
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