Resolving Interpersonal Conflict

Interpersonal conflicts can be an outcome due to something trivial or serious. A conflict can occur due to a simple misunderstanding, if not handled carefully, it could lead to fights which results in casualties. Interpersonal conflicts are inevitable due to differing opinions and upbringing of every individual.

There was this interpersonal conflict incident which involved both my parents and myself as a third party. My mother and I were at home doing some administrative stuff and we did not have the time to go out for lunch. Thus, my father offered to buy take away for our lunch out of goodwill. When my father reached home, we were elated as we were famished. When my mother opened the take away box, her face grew sour. She asked my father"How do you expect me to eat? The rice are full of gravy! You know me for twenty plus years. Yet, you still don't know that I do not like to eat rice with gravy!". My father responded her like this"We have the luxury to have food to eat, so don't complain and just eat." My mother grew angry and disappointed at my father's response. She went to resume her administrative work and told me to finish up her share.

The main problem of this conflict was my mother did not like to eat rice that are filled with gravy. The take away that my father brought home was full of gravy. Thus, resulted in my mother's anger. My mother was disappointed at my father because after being married for twenty years, there might be possibility that my father still do not know her preferences.

If you were my father, what could be done to savage the situation?