It feels like fewer chlidren are fortunate enough to grow up in homes where anger management is part of their daily lives. And where parents are skilled at directing that energy into healthy places.
For those of us that grew up without that guidance, it’s usually because our parents had no such guidance either – so you have 3, 0r more, generations of angry people with no clue how to “fix it”.
After spending time over the last year with my youngest daughter and granddaughter, I realized there are now 5 generations of women who have relied on passive-aggressive behavior in order to cope with their world. I was intrigued by Andrea Brandt’s book, “8 Keys to Eliminating Passive-Aggressiveness” because the synopsis talked about recognizing yourself and methods to retrain yourself to deal with anger in a healthy way. There was one? I wanted to know what were the healthy ways to deal with anger and how could we break the mold for the next generation to be healthy.
That’s the part that really hit me – I guess I just assumed I was “set in my ways” now that I was in my 60’s. But I didn’t want my Granddaughter to suffer the consequences, guilt and pain Passive-Aggressive Behavior causes.
This book is written in a way that even my 19 yr old Granddaughter can read and implement, if she chooses. So I sent her a copy along with a nice new journal to record her journey in understanding and controlling her anger. It was obvious to me she had an anger management behavior problem that she had developed over time from both her mother and father. It is time to break the cycle and I hope she finds her way out of those behaviors. It makes life so much easier and more enjoyable.
Thanks Andrea for a great book.