This week I was watching The Real Housewives of New Jersey and I had an epiphany.  Now, don't judge me for being a reality TV fan because it is a great escape from the stresses of daily life and I am not going to be apologetic about it.  Everyone has some guilty pleasure that they engage in to wind down from work and life.  In any case, let me get back to some of the things that this show made me realize about family dynamics and relationships...     It's important that I give you a brief overview of what happened on the show in order for you to follow my train of thought.  A brother and sister who used to be close found themselves involved in a now strained relationship due to the fact that they each did not get along with the others' spouses.  Throughout the episode, one could see how the spouses influenced the reactions of the siblings by making innuendos and deliberately creating conflict.  Believe it or not, it was interesting to me to watch this situation from … [Read more...]