Are you a parent who immediately reacts with anger when confronted with an errant child?

Does your child tune you out when you lose control? Maybe you are a detail-oriented person, while your child is a big picture person.

In either case, help is on the way.

Rob Inrig, district administrator for the Richmond School District, will offer some sage advice during his keynote address on Saturday, Jan. 23 during the 11th Annual Learning the Brain Conference at MacNeill secondary.

"Understanding your child and how your personality influences your parenting style can help you in conflict resolution situations," says Inrig, who is also a counsellor and author of three parenting books.

"Our tendency is often to get others to see our way, which is not always the best way."

Inrig went on to say: "Often our different points of view can create a lot of conflict. By accepting that your child reacts differently to issues and situations can help bridge how both of you react to a particular situation."

Inrig cautions parents not to lose sight of what is at issue.

He uses this analogy to explain.

"I'm hammering a nail into a piece of wood and I keep hammering and hammering until I end up damaging the wood," Inrig says.

"I keep nailing because emotion has taken over, and I've lost sight of where I'm at."

One child might do really well with structure, while the other is more people-oriented, so it stands to reason both have to be dealt with in different ways, Inrig says.

"We don't all get from point A to point B the same way."

During his 50-minute keynote address, Inrig will break down the different parenting styles and offer insight into how understanding different personalities can result in better conflict resolutions.

The Richmond School District presents the 11th Annual Learning and the Brain Conference on Saturday, Jan. 23 beginning at 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at McNeill secondary.

The event is free and open to the public. Inrig will give his address at 8:30 a.m., which will be followed by two workshops. For more information, visit www.sd38.bc.ca or www.rdpa.ca.

mhopkins@richmond-news.com