Family gatherings can be crazy. There are a lot of people and a lot of opinions. Usually, to keep the peace, while we wait for my Aunt June’s roast to be done and keep my mischievous niece Cindy from running away with the blueberry pie, we avoid topics like politics and religion. It’s just never safe. It always leads to a messy conversation and someone eating a cold plate outside.
However, during COVID, these conversations can’t be avoided. Whether you are vax or anti-vax, whether you are a Biden fan or not, it all is coming out. Because in order to be around each other, we need to talk about safety, mask-wearing, social distancing, and vaccination status. We can no longer hide our opinions.
So what do we do when these opinions land us on opposing sides?
THE FIRST TIP: HONOR HOW YOU FEEL
Whatever your stance is, honor how you feel. Don’t feel bad for putting up boundaries, saying no to certain gatherings, or how you feel about getting vaccinated. As long as you are educated about the issues and have made your decision, that’s the right decision for you. And that’s okay.
THE SECOND TIP: RESPECT HOW THEY FEEL
Regardless of their stance, they are entitled to their own opinions and we should respect them, even if we don’t like them.
THE THIRD TIP: TAKE TIME TO GRIEVE
At the end of the day, these are our feelings at the moment. Perhaps in the future, once we’ve all gotten some new perspective, the relationship can be mended. However, right now, it’s okay to be sad that the relationship ended or has to cease for now.
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