My parents argue all the time. It’s not like the movies where they’re screaming and crying, but it brings me great discomfort listening to it.

I can hear the sound of my own heartbeat during those times, and I often stop what i’m doing to sigh anxiously out of how many times I’ve gone through it.

Someone please tell me how I can cope with this. I never feel like I’m in any danger and I know their quarrels are not my fault. Don’t worry about that. But it’s a daily thing at this point, and it brings me so much stress and anxiety when they do it. It’s come to the point where I somewhat dread things like holidays and family gatherings. They argue over the smallest things. How they acted or what kind of attitude they had when asking for something. They even got heated when one of them made a wrong turn at a light. For god’s sake, they argued over some mashed potatoes!

Now I’m certainly not asking for a perfect family, I recognize that families have their disagreements and it’s actually what makes them closer in ways. But with mine, I feel as if we just grow colder and fuel the fire with each passing disagreement. Our patience seems to grow thinner every day. Even at dinner, occasionally one of them will eat alone out of their frustration towards the other, leaving me with an equally disgruntled parent to eat with at a painfully silent table.

When I was younger, I always noticed how little my friends parents argued. If they did disagree over something, they’d simply compromise.

But my parents dont do that.

My mom is an emotionally sensative person, she’s a complete caregiver but at times can overreact due to that sensitivity. Neither of us can really fufill her emotional needs.

My dad, hes more blunt and very stubborn in my eyes. Kind of a narcissist to be honest. When told hes doing something wrong, or my mom gives him a suggestion, he instantly puts up a wall and brushed her off rudely.

Opposites really do attract I guess.