There will always be difficult relationships and circumstances to manage in your life. Naomi Chunilal helps us navigate them

It’s nearly 9 o’clock on a Sunday evening and you’re looking forward to sitting down to watch TV. The only problem is that your offspring don’t want to comply with your definition of how to spend a nice, relaxing evening. They show little inclination to settle down and go to sleep. Instead, they are getting in and out of bed like yo-yos, and your stress levels are rising.

Sometimes, whether it’s at ten past seven, or seven minutes past ten, we become exasperated with our children, lose our temper and end up hissing and exploding at them, despite our best intentions to be a positive role model of patience. 

We often have to negotiate our way through many potential flash points of stress in an average family day, trying to live peacefully alongside those we love. Our family ship may barely seem to float at times, in danger of sinking under the negative weight of disputes, dramas and verbal battles between us and our children and partners. Whether it’s the daily rush to get children up and ready for school, or the constant dialogue over what they believe is reasonable behaviour.