But experts say there are ways to handle such discussions without letting them spiral into explosive conflict and end a relationship.
You can also use these same tools year-round when talking to colleagues and friends with whom you disagree.
"There's actually proven methods for making disagreements more calm and more productive," says Steve Franconeri, a psychology professor at Northwestern University. "And we've packed them into a game that you can learn how to play in about seven minutes."
The game is called Point Taken. It was designed to help people discuss polarizing topics in a structured, thoughtful, and even fun way.
Players write the topic of disagreement on a central tile, then each side lists their top two reasons on surrounding tiles.
Instead of talking, participants write their responses, which Franconeri says forces clarity and reflection. The goal is to simply understand each other's perspectives and why they disagree.
"We're not here to persuade each other. We're not here to shout at each other," Franconeri says. "We are here to solve a puzzle together."
Both sides are actually on the same time and to win, they must collaborate to resolve each discussion thread by choosing one of four emojis to represent the outcome.
For example, a scale emoji signals agreement to disagree, while a thumbs-up shows consensus on a point.
Franconeri says players "learned that the other side actually had good points to make. And they become more uncertain about their own position and they're more open to learning."
The game was tested by high school sophomore Ana Yang who lives near San Francisco, and our own daughter in Philadelphia.
Their disagreement was which city is a better place to live.
"I think this game is helpful because it helps me understand my peers' point of view," Yang says.
Point Taken is available for free, either to play online or as a downloadable PDF. The Point Taken team says it's for ages seven to 107.