I statement
When I was in grade ten, my parents decided to take me to a boarding school. My parents did this because they thought being in boarding school was the best thing for me as a way to prepare me for college education and also give me ample time to study. I had no problem with this and was glad to join the school, even though I missed my family a lot and was looking forward to the holidays. Before I joined the school, we used to go out with dad on weekends a lot. My dad, however, got a demanding job that required some of his time even during weekends, so when I came home or holidays, I did not expect much of weekends out in the park. He, however, had a few weekends for himself, and I expected the first one he will spend with me out, given that we had been apart for a while and had much to talk. I was astonished to see him go with our dog the first time he got a weekend off instead of me. It offended me, and I felt like he was no longer interested in me. To voice my concerns, I would use this kind of “I statement.”
“Unless you have a good explanation, I feel put out when you choose our dog for your weekends out, instead of me, when we have not had time together for months.” In this statement, I have covered the offensive behavior of my dad by explaining what he did that offended. That is him deciding to have time with the dog instead of me. By telling dad that is behavior was offending me, it explains my feelings. However, I was ready to take responsibility for my feelings if he had a good explanation. The consequences of his behavior are that it was offensive and creating a distance between us. Using I statement helps to effectively communicate to a person whose actions have negative consequences on another. It allows one to voice their concerns in a positive and unbiased way. It also provides a remedy for the effects of the other person’s actions. For example, I was ready to get rid of my frustrations with my father if he had a good reason to leave me out.