Girl Problems Seem Obvious

Men v. Women

Men want to set world records. We want to see how fast we can solve problems. Women want to be music records. They want to be heard.

Me v. Amanda I fail here often. I forget to listen and try to fix. When Amanda starts sharing, I have to ask if she'd like me to just listen or make a suggestion at the end. That's the closest trick I've learned in this department. When I remember to do it.

Upset Citizen v. SSA Worker

The greatest example of reflective listening I've seen was at the Social Security Administration office. I was a social worker at the time and took my client to get her disability check figured out. There was an upset citizen there going off on a SSA Worker, "Where's my money!" The worker calmly, quietly, responded, "This sounds really hard". The fire vanished. The citizen relaxed. I stared the whole time.

Conclusion

Guys, when you hear a girl problem, you need to say one thing, "That sounds really hard." Then get ice cream.

Practical Next Steps

1. Listen to problem

2. Make eye contact

3. "That sounds really hard"

4. Get ice cream

#FamilyWednesday