Can this two-week plan break your argument cycle?

Every relationship has its tensions – but after years of minor disagreements about the same 
things, can you broker peace? Nicole Mowbray tries three experts’ methods over 14 days to stop the bickering, while her husband chips in from the sidelines
Every relationship has its tensions – but after years of minor disagreements about the same things, can you broker peace? One writer tries three ways to stop the bickering (while her husband chips in from the sidelines) Credit: Jeremy Booth

Have you heard the one about the journalist and the lawyer? No? That’s probably because they didn’t stop bickering long enough to finish the joke.

Household chores, holiday plans, dinner choices… you name it, and it’s likely my husband (who trained as a barrister) and I have quarrelled about it. Not serious slanging matches or tearful tirades, but verbal jousting followed by a cold shoulder.

We are both – by nature and profession – argumentative. While our linguistic sparring does not detract from our love for each other (or at least that’s my hope), I sometimes wonder if our very union makes disagreements inevitable. Both the legal profession and the media are populated by opinionated individuals...

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