FamilyLife Blended®

A flip-flop is not always something you wear on your feet. Sometimes, it’s what comes out of your mouth.

A verbal flip-flop is when you take a soft feeling and replace it with a hard, negative one. In a blended family imagine a stepparent who is concerned that a stepchild is not learning responsibility. Instead of expressing that concern calmly, they flip-flop out criticism. The skill to learn is to lead with compassion. Something like, “Because I care for your son let’s talk about teaching him responsibility.” The Proverbs say, “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”