The secret to good relationships? Accept family and friends for who they really are

It can be painful to discover people are not who we want them to be. But once this is grasped, we can form much more meaningful bonds

Sign up for Well Actually, a free weekly newsletter about health and wellness

My friend’s small daughter was in a state of utter devastation. She desperately wanted to take her toy car into the bath with her. But – and this is key – she equally desperately did not want her toy car to get wet. There was no way to get what she wanted and she was forced to accept the unflinching reality: water is not dry. It hurt, and she wailed.

I can relate. There have been times, mostly when realising that my husband will not do or say or feel the thing that I want him to do or say or feel, when I have wanted to wail, just like that little girl. I have had to acknowledge – again and again – that he is who he is and not who I want him to be.

Continue reading…

About Author