In the last few months, I have found myself in a few conflicts that have made me very uncomfortable surrounding the global pandemic. The coronavirus has caused many families to isolate themselves from others and distance from family members they regularly see to help stop the spread and keep others safe. My mother in law is a significant help to our family with my children while my husband and I work. My youngest daughter is immune-compromised, and we must limit our contact with others for her safety. Recently my mother in law told me she was going fly to Missouri to visit some friends. I was nervous because I would have to ask her to quarantine for 14 days to return to our house when she comes home. It is hard to keep family members away who are such a big help in everyday life without offending anyone. I sat my mother in law down and asked if she would please not come to our house for 14 days after returning from her trip. She agreed to quarantine for 14 days and was even willing to get a test to ease my mind. That was a conflict I was anxious about because I was nervous; she would think I was implying that she was not safely taking precautions. Overall, there was a resolution in this conflict. A few months earlier, I dealt with a similar situation with a friend that did not end as well. My friend invited my husband and me to her wedding that I knew would involve many people. Unfortunately, because of our daughter's circumstance, we could not attend and sent her well wishes and apologies for being unable to partake in her special day. My friend called after receiving the declined RSVP and was very unhappy. I had to explain the reasoning we could not be there; my friend told me she could not believe I would not take part in such a momentous day in her life; she thought I was one of her closest friends. As a result, she has decided not to speak to me for the time being. Looking back on both conflicts I experienced, I felt intense anxiety about confronting both people in a situation that implied that I lacked trust in them about the precautions they take when they are not around my family and me. When contrasting these two conflicts, I have to say the only difference is that one of the people the conflict is surrounding handled it much more empathetic than the other. Sadly, there still has been no conflict resolution with that friend of mine. Maybe someday she will understand why I chose not to be a part of her special day.

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