Asking your partner for a reset

You and your partner are out of sync in front of your child and need to reset.

Try saying

“Can we take two minutes to talk, just us?” Disagreement in front of the kids about screens
“I want us on the same page before we respond.” Disagreement in front of the kids about screens
“I'm not trying to win this. I want to figure it out together.” Disagreement in front of the kids about screens

For each age

School (5–12)

“Can we take two minutes to talk, just us?”
“I want us on the same page before we respond.”
“I'm not trying to win this. I want to figure it out together.”

Front-of-kid debates teach kids that adults are unsafe. Stepping away is the lesson, not the failure.