11 Traps That Kill Conversation
By: Christine Hammond, LMHC, NCC As Tad hung up the phone, he realized he did it again. He fell for the trap and now it is over. Tad wanted so much to have a relationship with his estranged adult daughter that he kept trying to converse with her. But at nearly every turn, she set a trap for him to get upset or emotional and then she would shut it down saying he was out of control. Susan experienced something similar at work. She felt like her boss hated her. Every time she would approach him, he would give a quick distracted response that didn’t really address the issue. When she asked for clarification, he redirected her to someone else who wasn’t helpful. Frustrated, Susan would attempt again only to hear that she was being indecisive and sensitive. Eric and Erin were out to dinner celebrating their 11 th wedding anniversary. The conversation started off well until Eric mentioned the excessive cost of the lobster on the menu. Erin, tired of hearing him complain a