I love the following excerpt, for it can enhance the quality of any relationship:

From Deborah Tannen, Ph.D.
THAT’S NOT WHAT I MEANT!, p. 14
http://www.deborahtannen.com

…the most important thing is to be aware that misunderstandings can arise, and with them tempers, when no one is crazy and no one is mean and no one is intentionally dishonest. We can learn to stop and remind ourselves that others may not mean what we heard them say.