by Kathryn J. Kvols Mom is in the kitchen preparing dinner. Ten-
year-old Ryan comes in and asks for a candy bar. Mom says,
absently, "Not right now. Dinner will be ready in an hour." "Why
not? I'm hungry now," Ryan insists. "You know we don't eat candy
right before dinner, Ryan!" Mom says irritatedly. "Yeah, but I'm
starving. Come on, just one little candy bar." Mom stops what
she's doing and turns angrily at Ryan. "I told you no candy
before dinner and that's all there is to it!" "But I'm hungry.
Why can't I have something to eat when I'm hungry?" "You are not
going to eat a candy bar before dinner. You know the rules in
this house. And if you keep this up, you'll go to your room and
skip dinner entirely!" "Is this really about the candy bar?" Is
this a power struggle or just a typical dialogue between a
parent and child? And, is this really about the candy bar? A
power struggle is when a person holds one position and another
person holds a different position and both are unwilling to
change their positions.